Indonesia’s geothermal potential remains untapped

Can produce 29 gigawatts from geothermal sources.

Indonesia can produce this much power power from 299 geothermal energy locations across the country but only 15 of them produce 1.341 megawatts of power. Of the 15 exploration sites, only eight are in production.

Ten of thes esites are being exploited by state oil and gas company PT Pertamina, while five others are controlled by a joint venture between Pertamina and foreign companies.

There are, however, many obstacles, so the development of geothermal energy is taking place very slowly, said the Gadjah Mada University Geological Agency in Yogyakarta.

Since 2010, Pertamina has been looking for exploration sites, locating 15 working areas so far. The company is in Sumatra, Java and Bali, including Sibayak Sinabung; Sungai Penuh; Dieng; Komajang; Tabanan; Cibeureum, and Pengalengan.