Sumitomo Announces Increased Involvement in Geothermal Projects in Indonesia

Sumitomo Corp., a major Japanese general trading company, announced on March 2, 2012, that it had entered into 30-year power purchase agreements with PT. PLN, an Indonesian state-owned power utility concerning large-scale geothermal power generation projects in Sumatra, Indonesia. Along with Sumitomo, PT. Supreme Energy, a local private-sector power developer, and International Power-GDF SUEZ, a major European power developer, are participating as partners.

Sumitomo, jointly with its partners, says it will construct two 110-megawatt (MW) geothermal power plants, among the largest in the world, at each of two mining sites in Sumatra -- one in Muara Laboh and the other in Rajabasa -- for a total capacity of 440 MW. It aims to complete the plants and start selling the electricity produced at both sites by 2016.

In February 2011, Sumitomo began participating in the projects at their initial stage, the most upstream level of involvement of all the overseas geothermal projects undertaken in the past by any Japanese company. With a track record of having supplied approximately 50 percent of the geothermal installations in Indonesia, Sumitomo intends to be further involved in any of the country's additional geothermal projects.

Current Status of Geothermal Power in Japan

Posted: 2012/05/26 06:00:15 AM