TOKYO/JAKARTA/MANILA -- Geothermal projects are taking off in Indonesia, drawing investments from Japan's Inpex, Singapore's Start Energy and other players, as the Southeast Asian country pushes the renewable energy source in a quest for carbon neutrality.
The Inpex-backed Muara Laboh geothermal power plant is a five-hour drive from Minangkabau International Airport in West Sumatra. A green power station billowing steam can be seen on a plateau at an altitude of 1,400 meters. There is a constant grumble from towers cooling steam that emits from wells pumping hot underground water.
