Indonesia Launches 1.225GW Mentari Nusantara Solar Tender — Southeast Asia’s Most Ambitious Procurement to Date

Indonesia’s state electricity company, PT PLN, has launched the region’s most ambitious solar procurement exercise to date: the Mentari Nusantara I tender, seeking 1,225MW of utility-scale solar capacity distributed across seven of the archipelago’s island groups. The tender is structured under PLN’s newly introduced GIGA ONE integrated procurement framework — a model designed to consolidate multiple projects into a single large-scale package, creating economies of scale, improving bankability, and enhancing the predictability that international investors require.

The 1,225MW allocation is spread geographically across Java (600MW), Kalimantan (340MW), Maluku and Papua (120MW), West Nusa Tenggara (80MW), Sulawesi (50MW) and Sumatra (35MW). All projects are targeted to achieve commercial operation by 2029, and upon completion, Mentari Nusantara I will effectively double Indonesia’s total installed solar capacity from its 2025 baseline of 1.49GW.

For the broader Southeast Asian energy storage industry, Indonesia’s procurement momentum is directly relevant. At this scale of solar deployment, the question of storage integration becomes urgent — and PLN’s future procurement rounds are widely expected to follow the region’s trend towards mandatory BESS co-deployment. Malaysian industry players, particularly those with technology and project development expertise, should monitor Indonesia’s tender pipeline closely as a near-term export market and partnership opportunity.