Geothermal - solutions for Indonesia and the Philippines

Faced with energy crises, Indonesia and the Philippines, two energy-hungry countries are seeking to exploit geothermal. Both countries are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's largest area of ​​volcanoes and geothermal energy sources.

Lester Brown, chairman of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute, said: "When it comes to Indonesia and energy, I think of geothermal. Indonesia has more than 500 volcanoes, of which 130 are active. The Indonesian economy can operate entirely on geothermal energy sources . "

Many obstacles

High oil prices, rising energy demand and weak infrastructure in the energy industry make Indonesia and the Philippines seeking to exploit geothermal energy more urgent.

However, this potential exploitation is not easy. Geothermal mining projects include drilling wells deep in the ground for steam and hot water to run turbines. This is a costly process that is even more difficult because of bureaucratic procedures and other obstacles in Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Bedugul project of Indonesia, which exploits the volcanic islands of Bali to produce 175MW of electricity, is equivalent to half of the island's electricity demand, stalled because of the fear of succession by the locals under Hinduism. This plan can affect sacred lands and water sources from nearby lakes.

Most of the electricity in Bali is now taken from the Java island next to the sea cable. Proponents of the project say the plan is important because it meets the growing electricity demand in Bali, the tourist hub of Indonesia.

Geothermal mining is the best way to solve the current energy crisis in Indonesia and the Philippines.(Photo: Corbis)

Ni Made Widiasari, expert of Bali Energy Company, which carried out the project, said: "We hope the project will evolve, not only for investors but also for Bali's future."

In the Philippines, the world's second largest geothermal energy producer after the United States, one of the main obstacles to geothermal exploitation is the high acidity in steam and hot water that can corrode their pipelines.

Paul Aquino, Chairman of PNOC Energy Exploitation Group, is exploiting 9 steam fields with a capacity of 1,199 MW (60% of the geothermal capacity of the Philippines), arguing that the Philippines is unlikely to reach its target of increasing its capacity. Its heat from the current 1,931MW to 3,131MW in 2013 and surpassing the US became the world's largest producer of geothermal energy.

Currently, geothermal energy accounts for about 18% of the Philippines' energy needs. Aquino said: "We have exploited the areas with the largest geothermal resources." He added that many of the Philippines' largest untapped geothermal areas are in nature conservation parks.

Catherine Maceda, a recoverable Energy Alliance spokeswoman, promotes the use of alternative energy sources, arguing that the Philippines needs to pass the energy bill to bring transparency and great incentives. than.

While the Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, argued that the passage of the bill was urgent, other politicians argued that the adoption of the bill was delayed.

But necessary

Power networks in the Philippines and Indonesia are overloaded. Demand for electricity in the Philippines is estimated to increase by an average of 4.8% per year, while Indonesia is suffering from peak power outages.

Indonesia currently produces only 850MW from geothermal, accounting for about 3% of the country's total electricity output, while estimating Indonesia's geothermal energy potential is 27,000MW.

The Indonesian government wants to focus on using more coal-fired power plants to meet energy demand. Energy Minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, said the country could produce 9,500MW of electricity from geothermal by 2025.

Despite obstacles and stagnant projects, high energy prices are urging firms to consider exploiting geothermal energy. Some firms want to expand existing projects or try to implement new projects in Indonesia.

Energy companies Medco Energi Internasional and Star Energy of Indonesia are considering implementing new investment projects. Chevron, the world's largest producer of private geothermal energy, plans to double the number of geothermal projects in Indonesia and the Philippines by 2020, despite a large investment.

It takes about 7-8 years for a geothermal power plant to go into production from the time of exploration. In addition to the costs of exploration and construction drilling, there are other items such as making roads to factories, which are often located in remote mountainous areas.

According to Phuong Dung (General) - Vietnamnet