Air pollution is a major health hazard in Indonesia, particularly in the capital Jakarta. However, there are “limited areas” where renewable energies could be introduced, as Indonesia’s territory consists of some 17,500 islands and sees “comparatively less sunshine and wind than other countries.”
Natural gas, a less emissions-intensive thermal fuel, could help Indonesia reduce air pollution. MHPS encourages state energy companies to make use of Indonesia’s rich gas reserves to generate electricity in combined-cycle power units.
Probing clean fuels on Java
Together with Indonesia's Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), engineers at MHPS are analyzing big data from local power plant operations on the island of Java to advance clean energy technologies. The aim is to probe new fuels like ammonia and hydrogen.
Diagnosing operations of Indonesia's power plants through artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis is meant to enhance efficiency. To that end, MHPS and the ITB seek to establish a joint research and development base in Indonesia.
“Through this joint research, not only will we develop new technologies for clean energy, but also we will improve the performance of existing power plants in Indonesia through big data analysis and Artificial Intelligence (AI),” said MHPS President and CEO Ken Kawai.
In the Java – Bali region, the Japanese manufacturer supplied and installed over 30 percent of the power generation capacity. MHPS shipped its first steam turbine there in 1971 and continues today to contribute equipment for ensuring stable power supplies.
Some sixteen month ago, MHPS commissioned the 300 MW unit-2 of the Tanjung Priok combined-cycle power plant ahead of schedule. Unit 1 of the Jawa-2 project initially went into operation as a simple gas turbine system this June with output nearing 300 MW, and Unit 2 doubled that capacity to 600 MW. In Indonesia, MHPS claims to hold the top market share for large gas turbines, with a total power gen equipment supplied reaching 12 GW.