Roadblocks slow geothermal energy development in SE Asia

JAKARTA

Providing round-the-clock energy, using minimal space and considered a clean source of power — geothermal energy seems like an ideal option for countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where the potential is high, and governments are seeking to transition away from highly polluting fossil fuels.

Yet most of the potential of geothermal energy, created by harnessing heat produced by the earth from underground reservoirs of hot water to power turbines that generate electricity, remains untapped in these countries and across the world — as financial, regulatory and community roadblocks have stalled growth.

More readily available financing and domestic regulatory changes are starting to address these barriers, but experts say more should be done to unlock the vast clean energy source trapped just beneath the Earth’s surface.

Countries with high geothermal potential — such as the United States, Indonesia and the Philippines — are usually located close to tectonically active regions where hot water or steam is naturally carried to the Earth’s surface through volcanic activity, or can be accessed by shallow drilling.

Experts also laud geothermal plants for their ability to operate continuously to meet the minimum level of power demanded around-the-clock, unaffected by weather, with long lifespans and minimal maintenance.

As countries shift towards renewable and cleaner energy, geothermal use is expected to grow: In Southeast Asia, geothermal power generation is expected to increase tenfold from 2020 to 2050, reaching 276 million megawatt-hours, according to the International Energy Agency.

With their steaming volcanoes and bubbling lakes, Indonesia and the Philippines are the second and third-largest users of geothermal energy in the world, with some of the highest geothermal energy potential. The U.S. is number one.

Yet Indonesia uses less a tenth of its gargantuan reserves. In the Philippines, about 8 percent of geothermal capacity has been developed.

Climate finance for geothermal development is limited for most Southeast Asian nations, accounting for only 9 percen of finance available for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Even when finance is secured, community pushback can slow development.

In Indonesia, residents of villages have protested projects, citing safety and environmental concerns: Several geothermal sites in Indonesia have had deadly gas leaks in the past five years.

Some Indonesian communities don't understand what geothermal energy is and how they could benefit from its development, said Timothy Ravis, a doctoral student at Cornell University.

Protests at geothermal sites in the Philippines have led at least one company to pay royalties to Indigenous groups worried about land degradation caused by geothermal development.