HVDC GRid for intErconnEcting Nusantara

Indonesia is a main emerging market, with an expected increase of its electricity needs by 76% in the next 10 years. As of today, the majority of electricity consumption is in Java, where most people (56%), services and industry locate. Currently, 69.5% of the energy in Java generates from coal-fired power plants (CFPP), but Java does not have coal resource and a total of 75 million tons of coal was transported through sea in 2019.
Indonesia should reduce and eventually stop the use of CFPP due to the negative impacts on local environment and health such as: CO2 emission, decrease in fish catches and agricultural yields, and premature deaths. One way to replace CFPP is using renewable energy sources (RES).

A strong Indonesian grid over a large geographic area is required in order to integrate wind, solar or other RES. HVDC links would allow transmitting carbon-neutral power from islands where its generation is more efficient and viable to those with high consumption. Consequently, the number of CFPP reduces, the percentage of electricity generated via RES increases and grid reliability improves by increasing the level of interconnection. Besides a strong contribution to reduce the Indonesian carbon footprint from electricity generation and improve the security of supply, other big prospects arise from having HVDC links:
-Submarine cables between the main islands would lay in the vicinity of small islands, offshore oil platforms and offshore areas with high wind. The taping of these lower power areas to the main link would allow eliminating fossil generation at the small islands, as well as to ease the construction of offshore RES by reducing costs
-A modular approach through the years is possible, allowing a higher adaptability and a better business case from a step-by-step expansion
-Boost economy growth outside Java, via RES power-plants, new/enhanced infrastructures, which lead to new local business opportunities
-The results can be replicated not only for other island areas (e.g. Philippines), but also onshore in regions with high RES potential and weak grids, as Africa;
-To have HVDC-VSC technology in Indonesia is a crucial backbone for a S.E. Asia electrical grid. The project will not address this, but its outcome is key for further development of electrical interconnection between S.E. Asia countries and/or to interface Indonesia with the Australia-ASEAN Power Link.