President Prabowo Subianto is set to inaugurate the Lumut Balai 2 geothermal power plant (PLTP) in South Sumatra, according to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia. 

“The physical inauguration will, God willing, be carried out by the President,” Bahlil said during The 11th Indonesia International Geothermal Convention & Exhibition (IIGCE) 2025 on Wednesday, September 17. 

The PLTP is located in the Lumut Balai and Margabayur geothermal working area in South Sumatra. The project, owned by Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), has a total capacity of 55 megawatts (MW). 

“I have already requested the President’s time. If not at the end of this month, then at the latest next month (for the physical inauguration),” Bahlil added. 

Although President Prabowo will inaugurate the plant physically, the facility has actually been operating since late June. This was marked by the completion of the Unit Rated Capacity (URC) test, which ran for 72 consecutive hours, and the issuance of the Operation Worthiness Certificate (SLO) on June 29, 2025. The power plant is now fully operational and supplying electricity to the national grid. 

The URC test conducted on June 26–29, 2025, showed that the plant’s performance was stable and met specifications. “We are grateful that the Lumut Balai Unit 2 geothermal plant can now operate fully and consistently. This is part of PGE’s long-term commitment to providing reliable and sustainable clean energy based on geothermal resources,” said PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk (PGE) President Director Julfi Hadi in a press release. 

He noted that with this additional capacity, PGE strengthens the national energy mix while moving closer to achieving its target of independently managed installed capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW) within the next 2–3 years. Julfi also added that this step represents concrete proof of PGE’s contribution toward reaching the target of expanding renewable energy (EBT) power plant capacity to 76% during the 2025–2034 period. 

“Going forward, we are optimistic about continuing to support the acceleration of the national geothermal capacity target of 5.2 GW during that period,” he said. 

In addition to Lumut Balai Unit 2, PGE is also developing several other strategic projects such as Hululais Unit 1 & 2 (110 MW), as well as a number of co-generation projects with a total capacity of 230 MW. On June 26, 2025, PGE also inaugurated exploration (greenfield) at the Gunung Tiga geothermal plant in Lampung, which has a potential capacity of 55 MW. 

This article is published in partnership with Katadata 

Original article here