Jakarta, Oct 4 (IANS): The construction of a solar panel plant in Kendal, Central Java, has reached 90 per cent completion, and operations are expected to begin by the end of 2024, with a first-phase production capacity of one gigawatt peak.

This solar panel plant is being developed by PT Daya Sukses Makmur Selaras, a subsidiary of Sinar Mas Group, with an investment of more than $100 million, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This factory development aims to support the government's target of 178 gigawatt of installed solar panels by 2060," said Djoko Siswanto, Secretary of the National Energy Council, on Thursday evening.

Ferry Salman, Managing Director of Sinar Mas, added that the factory's capacity will be increased further over the next two years, with a peak of three gigawatt.

The Indonesian government has also recently established the Indonesia Solar Energy Research Centre to promote the development of solar technology and human resources, while simultaneously expediting plans to export power to Singapore.

The research institute is a collaboration between the Indonesian Engineers Association, the National Research and Innovation Agency, the Bandung Institute of Technology, the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University, the Institute of Technology Indonesia, and the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore.

In September 2024, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that Indonesia will export electricity to Singapore from a solar power plant with a capacity of 3.4 gigawatt. This agreement has an investment value of $20 billion.