Title: Life cycle assessment of the geothermal power plant in the Patuha geothermal field, Indonesia

Abstract

Every country is aiming to increase the utilization of renewable and low-carbon
energy, in order to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Geothermal
energy is one of many renewable energy sources that emits significantly less GHG
than fossil-based energy sources. A 55 MWe geothermal power plant in Indonesia,
owned by PT Geo Dipa Energi (GeoDipa), has implemented a number of strategies
to achieve environmentally friendly production. As part of the strategy, a Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) is required to assess the potential negative impacts on
the environment of the geothermal drilling, construction, and operation of the
Patuha geothermal power plant. The LCA method for this research relies on the
general framework outlined in ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 for
environmental management. Following the impact analysis considered by
ReCiPe2016 impact methodology, 19 impacts were discovered for the drilling and
construction stages, and 10 impacts for the operation stage. The significant
consumption of steel and concrete for the casing, pipelines, turbines, and generator
are the major contributors to the impacts for the drilling and construction stages.
Furthermore, the operation stage contributed significantly to climate change, fine
particulate matter formation, and terrestrial acidification. The results reveal that the
GHG (in CO2 equivalents) emissions at the Patuha geothermal power plant account
for 43,3 g CO2 eq/kWh which is lower than the global average for geothermal
power generation (122 g CO2/kWh) and about 10 times less than fossil fuel-based
electricity production. Overall, it can be concluded that environmental impacts of
the power plant are considerable, however, significantly lower than similar fossil
fuel-based power plants.