Japan, Indonesia consider ship LNG power generation to islands

The Japanese and Indonesian governments are exploring a plan to supply power to Indonesian islands through ships that generate electricity using LNG. This is expected to be the first ever instance of full-scale LNG power generation at sea.

The ships will be equipped with LNG tanks and power-generating turbine systems and each one is expected to provide tens of thousands of kilowatts. While a ship is anchored, LNG will be delivered by tankers from storage depots in Indonesia.

The Japanese ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry hopes that other Asian countries will be interested in this infrastructure as well.

LNG power-generating ships can be a major breakthrough in Indonesia where many small islands use diesel to generate electricity, which is expensive and very pollutant. Islands near East Timor, such as the Maluku Islands, are among the candidate sites, according to The Japan News.

The Japanese government expects through this project to counter China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, sources say. In order for this idea to work, enhancing power and transportation infrastructure in the region is necessary.