The Indonesian government is currently maximizing geothermal potential by expanding the electricity capacity of geothermal power plants (PLTP) in various regions across the country. While this development brings many positive impacts, the use of geothermal energy continues to present challenges, particularly in terms of human resources and technological capacity.
Geologist at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Dr. Pri Utami, stated that geothermal energy development in Indonesia remains focused on Quaternary volcanic areas within high-temperature hydrothermal systems.
Dr. Utami explains that the success rate of discovering geothermal resources before drilling is only 50 percent.
Moreover, drilling costs per well are high, reaching approximately USD 10 million, which makes geothermal development in the exploration stage a high-risk investment.
She emphasized the need for research investment prior to drilling.
“To reduce this risk, investment in geoscience research, including geology, geochemistry, and geophysics, is required to predict subsurface conditions more accurately. Drilling technology must also be improved to reach target depths more quickly,” she explained on Friday (Sep. 12) at UGM.
Dr. Utami added that geothermal energy can, in fact, be extracted from many locations since geothermal potential is evenly distributed across the Earth.
However, to date, the development of high-temperature hydrothermal systems requires the presence of hot fluids with temperatures ranging from 225°C to 300°C, a favorable chemical composition with neutral pH, permeable rock, and depths between 1 and 3 kilometers.
Although exploration for geothermal power plants requires considerable investment, Dr. Utami noted that geothermal energy offers significant benefits to communities. She explained that projects in this sector create employment opportunities.
“The implementation of geothermal development projects, from exploration to field development, requires a large local workforce and also opens opportunities for supporting businesses such as catering, accommodation, transportation, and other services,” she said.
Furthermore, several geothermal fields are capable of producing by-products, such as mineral deposits that can be processed into fertilizers and plant enhancers.
“Efforts to increase electricity supply through geothermal energy also support improvements in food security,” she added.
Despite these benefits, Dr. Utami acknowledged that geothermal exploration carries certain environmental risks.
She explained that geothermal development inevitably affects the environment, including dust from the mobilization of heavy equipment, noise during drilling, and landscape changes resulting from geothermal installations.
However, there are many ways to minimize these impacts from the outset.
“This includes cleaning affected areas, installing soundproofing systems, using modern drilling equipment, replanting temporarily cleared areas used for drilling operations, and more,” she explained.
On the social front, Dr. Utami pointed out that public knowledge about geothermal energy remains limited.
She recommended that geothermal energy should not be regarded as a commodity like oil, coal, or other mining resources, but as a highly competitive energy asset compared to fossil fuels.
“To make it more competitive, investment in human resources is essential to reduce exploration risks and enhance the reliability of its utilization technologies,” she said.
Author: Salwa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Illustration: Freepik