The $108 million power plant was inaugurated by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, will power 50,000 homes and offset 214,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The power plant is Masdar’s first floating solar project and its first renewable energy project in the Southeast Asian market, is expected to produce around 300 GWh/year.
It is also the largest such project built in a hydropower reservoir with a water depth of 100 metres, water level fluctuation of 18 metres, and a 50-metre difference in water bottom elevation.
The floating solar solution has been supplied by Chinese company Sungrow FPV, and features high-load-bearing anchor blocks tailored to the specific geological conditions of the project site.
The project design underwent scrutiny by third-party audit organisations, including DNV, RINA, INNOSEA, and received validation from the Dam Safety Committee (DSC) of Indonesia.
Masdar and PLN Nusantara Power (PLN NP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop Phase II of Cirata with up to 500MW additional capacity.
“The Cirata Floating PV is the result of collaboration between two countries, namely Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, which involves PLN and Masdar,” said Indonesia’s minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif.
Sultan Al Jaber, UAE minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Masdar chairman, commented that “the inauguration of this floating solar PV plant at Cirata is a testament to Masdar’s pioneering ethos, our innovative spirit and power of partnership…With just a few days to go before COP28 in the UAE, it is exciting to see tangible progress being made on further ramping up of renewables capacity as we collectively seek to deliver unified action on climate change that will work for all parts of the world.”
