With help from the United Nations, the electrical energy grid on the central islands of Java, Madura, and Bali – residence to over 160 million folks – is now being upgraded and modernized to accommodate fluctuating power masses from photo voltaic and wind energy.
“On account of our cooperation with the UN, we now have a blueprint for a wise grid and are working to allow it to seamlessly combine electrical energy from renewables in keeping with nationwide priorities,” mentioned Evy Haryadi, Director of Transmission and System Planning at state-owned electrical energy firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). “This may signify an enormous step ahead in decarbonizing Indonesia’s power system.”
As emphasised throughout a current go to to Jakarta by the UN Secretary-Common’s Particular Advisor on Local weather Motion and Simply Transition, Selwin Hart, the sensible grid initiative—supported by the United Nations Workplace for Undertaking Providers (UNOPS)—is an integral a part of the broader UN help in Indonesia to make sure a simply power transition.
Solar energy is broadly used on the islands of Java, Madura, and Bali.
This contains work by the United Nations Growth Programme (UNDP) to convey renewable power to distant islands not related to the nationwide grid, and by the Worldwide Labour Group (ILO) to help the federal government in creating inexperienced expertise.
“The UN in Indonesia works in shut partnership with the federal government to help its power transition targets in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” mentioned Gita Sabharwal, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Indonesia. “We offer quick response options and technical experience to assist speed up progress towards authorities targets in inexperienced power.”
The nation’s 2025–2034 Electrical energy Provide Enterprise Plan, launched in Could, outlines a strategic shift towards a cleaner and investment-driven power future. It targets 42.6 GW of latest renewable energy capability and 10.3 GW of storage, whereas limiting new fossil gasoline capability to 16.6 GW. The plan is designed to align Indonesia’s local weather commitments with the SDGs and improve nationwide power resilience.
The sensible grid and, at its core, the management centre that manages electrical energy provide and demand, are essential to this effort. The nation expects a surge in renewable technology building as soon as the modernization of the JAMALI Management Heart is accomplished.
Traditionally, energy grids had been designed to obtain electrical energy from sources with comparatively fixed output—comparable to coal, pure fuel, or hydropower. Nonetheless, some renewable sources perform in another way: photo voltaic crops generate electrical energy solely when the solar is shining, and wind energy solely when the wind is blowing. In a so-called “sensible grid,” the management centre should be capable to regulate electrical energy consumption from renewables and steadiness it with secure sources like coal, primarily based on real-time climate circumstances and consumption patterns. It’ll additionally make the most of large-scale batteries to retailer extra electrical energy—for instance, photo voltaic power generated throughout notably sunny intervals.
Established within the early Nineteen Eighties, the JAMALI grid management heart covers 79% of Indonesia’s technology capability. The sensible grid system design, delivered by UNOPS, allows the management centre to include renewable power forecasting capabilities and grid evaluation instruments to help stability and safety, amongst different superior options.
The detailed engineering design for the JAMALI Important Management Heart contains plans to consolidate 5 regional management centres into two to enhance effectivity whereas sustaining redundancy. UNOPS additionally accomplished the tendering course of and vendor choice for the design’s implementation and is constructing the capability of PLN employees concerned in management centre operations to handle the brand new know-how successfully.
From design to implementation
Development employees and engineers are actually exhausting at work at PLN’s campus in Depok, simply outdoors Jakarta, implementing the design supplied by UNOPS. Completion of the management centre is anticipated by the top of 2025. Throughout this part, UNOPS is chargeable for monitoring the chosen distributors who’re developing, putting in, configuring, and finally commissioning the brand new centre.
Indonesia is modernizing its electrical energy grid.
“UNOPS has the mission administration experience and know-how to proceed supporting us and make sure the seamless and well timed supply of the mission, in keeping with the unique specs,” mentioned PLN’s Mr. Haryadi. “On the identical time, we’re constructing our inner capability to ultimately take over the duty.”
The work is progressing on schedule. The brand new buildings are largely accomplished, and set up of the commercial monitoring system—central to the management centre’s operation—is about 40 per cent full. Primarily based on the success of the initiative, discussions are underway to duplicate the design for the 4 management centres that handle electrical energy provide on different islands throughout the nation.
UNOPS helps this modernization beneath the Southeast Asia Power Transition Partnership (ETP), which gives technical experience to associate nations within the area to assist their nationwide power commitments in keeping with Paris Agreement and the SDGs. ETP is a multi-donor partnership, supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and philanthropic donors. ETP operates in Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam, in addition to on the ASEAN regional degree, and works collaboratively to mobilize and coordinate assets to facilitate a simply power transition within the area.
“The management centre improve guarantees to be a game-changer for Indonesia’s power combine,” Ms Sabharwal mentioned. “Our help is an impactful instance of the UN’s help in middle-income nations: working behind the scenes and offering core technical experience, we help the federal government’s precedence of power safety by fast-tracking the inexperienced transformation.”
