PGE wins Cubadak Panti geothermal PSPE mandate in West Sumatra

By Romel S. Gurky

IDX-listed geothermal power producer PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk (IDX: PGEO), or also known as PGE, has been appointed as the prospective implementer of the Preliminary Survey and Exploration Assignment (PSPE) for the Cubadak Panti geothermal area in West Sumatra, after securing first place in a competitive selection held by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR).

The company achieved an evaluation score of 87.01 in the selection process and will proceed to complete the required administrative steps in accordance with government regulations.

The Cubadak Panti PSPE area spans approximately 29,897 hectares across Pasaman and West Pasaman regencies, with preliminary estimates indicating possible geothermal reserves of around 77 megawatts electric (MWe).

PGE Director of Exploration and Development Edwil Suzandi said the assignment would support the company’s efforts to expand its geothermal resource base beyond the roughly 3 gigawatts of geothermal working area potential currently under its management.

Read also : Energy ministry names PSPE candidates for three geothermal areas

“This assignment strengthens PGE’s role in supporting the government’s energy transition agenda, national decarbonization efforts, and the expansion of renewable energy in Indonesia’s energy mix,” Edwil said in a statement Saturday.

The selection was conducted under Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation No. 36/2017, which governs the procedures for preliminary surveys and PSPE assignments for geothermal resources.

PGE, which has more than four decades of experience in geothermal development, currently operates 727 MW of installed capacity across six geothermal working areas. The company is also developing several projects, including the Hululais geothermal power plant Units 1 and 2 with a combined capacity of 110 MW, as well as co-generation projects totaling up to 230 MW.

In addition, PGE is preparing the development of Lumut Balai Unit 3, a 55 MW geothermal power plant targeted to achieve commercial operation in 2030.

PGE is part of Pertamina’s Power and New Renewable Energy subholding and manages a total geothermal installed capacity of 1,932 MW, comprising 727 MW operated directly by the company and 1,205 MW under joint operation contract schemes. The geothermal capacity within PGE’s working areas accounts for about 70% of Indonesia’s total installed geothermal capacity.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak