Indonesia's coal power plant capacity continues to rise adding 1.9GW

Indonesia's installed capacity of coal power plants continues to rise, adding 1.9 GW in 2024, the third largest in the world, of which 80% is for specific use (captive power plant).As of 2024, Indonesia has 130 captive coal power plants with an installed capacity of 30 MW and above in operation, and 21 are in the construction or pre-construction stage. Since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, Indonesia's installed capacity of coal power plants has increased by 29 GW and now stands at 54.7 GW, ranking fifth globally. The National Electricity Master Plan 2024-2060 shows that over the next seven years Indonesia plans to add 26.7 GW of installed coal power plant capacity, with 75% for captive power plants. Indonesia's commitment to stop building new coal power plants after 2022 and to stop using coal in the country by 2050, but coal power plants that have been included in the national power supply plan and that support national strategic projects and value-added industries (such as deep processing of minerals) are not subject to the restriction, which reflects Indonesia's contradiction in climate policy. Indonesia plans to keep coal plants operating until 2060, using mixed combustion, carbon capture and storage technologies, and retrofitting existing coal plants to use fuels such as ammonia and biomass, and even considering nuclear energy. Experts say the strategy is costly and questionable, with mixed combustion of biomass likely to exacerbate deforestation, and carbon capture and storage technologies unproven. Globally, 22 countries have already cut the installed capacity of coal power plants, such as the scale of coal power plant shutdowns in Europe in 2024 from 2.7 GW in 2023 to 11 GW, with Germany contributing the most; the United Kingdom has completely stopped using coal since the signing of the Paris Agreement. And Indonesia and China, India and other 11 countries are still increasing the installed capacity of coal power plants, of which China adds the most, amounting to 30.52 GW, and Indonesia ranks third.