Jakarta. A microgrid solution developed by Hitachi ABB Power Grids Indonesia — a technology company focusing on sustainable energy generation — helps enable greener mining for Indonesian coal supplier Indo Tambangraya Megah, or ITM, according to a written statement.

Hitachi ABB has deployed the microgrids at Indominco Mandiri (IMM), an ITM-owned mining facility in Bontang, East Kalimantan, which produces up to 12.5 Mt of coal each year. Hitachi ABB also claims the microgrid facility is the largest in Indonesia. 

In operation since 2019, the project has successfully integrated solar generation into the network. IMM can easily stabilize and improve energy efficiency thanks to Hitachi ABB’s e-mesh grid edge solutions portfolio, which includes the PowerStore Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and advanced controls. 

The microgrids also harness solar energy of 230 megawatt-hour annually and help to reduce carbon footprint by up to 192 tons.

"As a responsible company, ITM wants to promote energy conservation as part of our commitment to minimize environmental impacts and bring a better life in the area where we operate and also to our surrounding communities,” ITM president director Mulianto wrote in the statement on Thursday.

According to the company’s managing director Massimo Danieli, remote locations like Bontang, East Kalimantan, are rich in renewable sources.

“But their intermittent nature makes integration into the power grid a challenge,” Massimo said.

“This project shows how the successful integration of solar PV with PowerStore dramatically reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions to drive energy efficiency and sustainable growth," he added.