DEVELOPING FLORES INTO A GEOTHERMAL ISLAND by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 21, 2017 (Antara) - Flores, the long island located in Indonesia's southernmost province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is not only scenic but also rich in natural resources.

        Flores is positioned between the islands of Sumba and Timor, and the three are major islands of NTT, where some 566 isles are scattered in its waters.

         The exotic tropical island has been promoted internationally through the annual sports tourism event called Tour de Flores since 2016. 
    Since early August 2017, the central government has designated Flores as a geothermal island for its abundant geothermal reserves.

         The Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister has issued Decree No. 2268 on the designation of Flores as a geothermal island, Head of the Mining and Energy Office of NTT Boni Marasina said recently.

           "I just returned from Jakarta to collect the official letter from ESDM Minister Ignasius Jonan," Marasina had noted in Kupang, the capital of NTT, on Aug 11.

           He said a road map on Flores as a geothermal island has also been prepared by ARUP, an international consultant from Britain, in cooperation with the World Wide Fund.

           The road map was a result of cooperation on a strategic study on geothermal energy signed on August 19, 2015, by the Indonesian and British governments.

          Geothermal reserves are found in 16 locations on Flores Island: Waisano, Ulumbu, Wai Pesi, Gou-Inelika, Mengeruda, Mataloko, Komandaru, Ndetusoko, Sokoria, Jopu, Lesugolo, Oka Ile Ange, Atedai, Bukapiting, Roma-Ujelewung, and Oyang Barang.

         Until now, only the Ulumbu and Mataloko reserves have been developed to generate power, with a total installed capacity of 12.5 megawatts (MW).

         The island of Flores has potential reserves of 902 MW, or 65 percent of the geothermal reserves in NTT, he noted.

          He said Flores also has the potential to harness energy from sea waves that could be developed in the strait of Gonzalu between Larantuka and the Adonara Island in the regency of East Flores.

          The decision to call Flores a geothermal island is a follow-up step to develop the geothermal reserves to produce power to contribute to the electrification program of the region. 
     In fact, state-owned electricity company PLN has set its rural electrification target to cover 700 isolated villages in NTT this year.

         PLN has already prepared a tender for the project, and the process of electrification will be completed in November this year.

          Earlier, Business Director of PLN for Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara Machnizon Masri had confirmed in Jakarta that all villages in Flores, a district in NTT, will be fully electrified.

           Next year, PLN will again take steps to electrify 500 other villages in the province, and hopefully, by the end of 2018, all villages in NTT would be electrified, Masri stated.

         The 700 villages to be electrified this year are part of the national rural electrification program to cover 11,300 villages until the end of 2019.

         Currently, some 2,530 villages in the country have not been electrified, and several other villages receive less than six hours of power supply every day.

         As for NTT, the electrification program will use the geothermal potential and several other renewable energy sources, such as solar and hydro energy.

        Following the naming of Flores as a Geothermal Island, the exploration of geothermal potential in Waisano-Werang in West Manggarai District, western Flores Island, will be the government's pilot project.

        Director of Geothermal, Directorate General of Renewable Energy Yunus Saefulhak said the first project to be developed in Flores is in Waisano, based on a survey conducted by the Geological Agency, which has been analyzed by the World Bank, stating the area has geothermal potential.

        The funds to develop Waisano will come from the Geothermal Fund of the World Bank and the state budget.

        "There is Rp3 trillion available from the state budget, and US$55.25 million from the World Bank," he noted.

        He said funding from the Geothermal Budget will be utilized for exploration activities. The cost is expected to be recovered by the business sectors and be spent on exploring other areas.

        The cost of exploration for the development of one Geothermal Working Area is around $20-25 million.

        In addition to being a pilot project, geothermal energy in Flores can also be developed to build a geopark.

        The Joko Widodo administration has been encouraging the development of new and renewable energy projects in the next five years while aiming to reduce dependence on fossil-based fuels, as their reserves are depleting.

         As a nation keen on achieving self-sufficiency in energy, Indonesia must not rely on fossil fuels.

         In view of this, the diversification of energy sources needs to be carried out immediately through facilitating the development of new and renewable energy sources.

          "One of the new and renewable energy sources that we need to exploit is geothermal energy, which is abundant, clean, and environment-friendly. The national energy policy has set a target to increase the use of this energy to 23 percent by 2025," President Widodo had stated in 2015. 
   The country has 40 percent of the world's geothermal reserves found in Sumatra, Java, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Papua that have yet to be optimally exploited. 
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