Clean Power Indonesia – 700 kWp Biomass Gasifier in Mentawai (Indonesia)

The project utilizes 'Down Draft Gasification' technology to convert bamboo into electricity for 1,250 households in Mentawai, Indonesia. Funded primarily by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the project employs a business model involving a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with the state-owned utility PLN and a 20-year Feedstock Supply Agreement with local villages. The initiative has created approximately 450 jobs and aims to expand to 50 MW of capacity across Mentawai, eastern Indonesia, and Nias within five years.

• The project utilizes 'Down Draft Gasification' technology from Ankur Scientific Energy Technologies Pvt. Ltd. to convert bamboo, identified as a sustainable feedstock that does not impact food security, into producer gas. The system has a total capacity of 700 kW, comprising six 100 kW units and two 50 kW units.
• The project's total capital cost was USD 12.5 million, with 96% funded by a grant from the USA's Millennium Challenge Corporation. Operational costs are USD 0.07/kWh.
• The business model is based on a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) where the state-owned utility PLN purchases electricity at USD 0.15 per kWh and sells it to the community at the National Electricity Rate (TDL) of 415 IDR/kWh (~USD 0.031 cents). Simultaneously, a 20-year Feedstock Supply Agreement ensures villages are paid for bamboo at a price equal to 20% of the electricity tariff paid to the project.
• The project provided electricity to 1,250 households and created approximately 450 local jobs. Environmental benefits include an estimated 3,000 tonnes of CO2 per year per village through emission avoidance and carbon sequestration from bamboo planting.
• Future expansion plans aim to develop approximately 50 MW of capacity over the next five years, extending biomass gasification using bamboo to 43 villages in Mentawai, other provinces in eastern Indonesia, and the island of Nias.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (2019). Clean Power Indonesia – 700 kWp Biomass Gasifier in Mentawai (Indonesia). https://renewelec.org/case-study/clean-power-indonesia-700-kwp-biomass-gasifier-mentawai-indonesia/

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. Clean Power Indonesia – 700 kWp Biomass Gasifier in Mentawai (Indonesia). 2019. https://renewelec.org/case-study/clean-power-indonesia-700-kwp-biomass-gasifier-mentawai-indonesia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=Clean Power Indonesia – 700 kWp Biomass Gasifier in Mentawai (Indonesia) |date=13 November 2019 |url=https://renewelec.org/case-study/clean-power-indonesia-700-kwp-biomass-gasifier-mentawai-indonesia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrification2019clean, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{Clean Power Indonesia – 700 kWp Biomass Gasifier in Mentawai (Indonesia)}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://renewelec.org/case-study/clean-power-indonesia-700-kwp-biomass-gasifier-mentawai-indonesia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }