By Raymond Hendriawan
PT Sembcorp Energy Indonesia, a local subsidiary of Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries, announced on Wednesday that its joint venture with Panbil Group will officially launch the Tembesi Innovation District in Batam in 2025. The announcement was made by Hastin Dumadi, Head of Corporate Affairs at Sembcorp Energy Indonesia, during the event "Accelerating Indonesia's Sustainable Energy Future," co-hosted by the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) in Jakarta.
The Tembesi Innovation District is a flagship low-carbon industrial park project located in the Muka Kuning area of Batam, Riau Islands Province, and is part of Sembcorp and Panbil’s broader collaboration to establish green industrial zones in the region. Among the key features of the upcoming district is a privately developed 40-megawatt-peak (MWp) floating solar farm on the Tembesi reservoir, which will directly supply renewable electricity to the district through a privately owned grid.
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Designed with sustainability at its core, the district will also integrate battery energy storage systems (BESS), wastewater recycling, rooftop solar panels, solar-powered street lighting, LEED-certified ready-built factories, and a suite of digital decarbonization solutions. The park is expected to cater to light and medium industries, including advanced manufacturing and data centers, that demand both reliable power and sustainable infrastructure.
Sembcorp’s collaboration with Batam-based Panbil Group was first formalized through Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed with two Panbil subsidiaries in 2024. In addition to the Tembesi site, the partnership is also planning a 500-hectare development on Tanjung Sauh Island, designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for industrial growth.
To clarify, the floating solar project developed by the Sembcorp-Panbil joint venture is distinct from a separate solar initiative on the Tembesi reservoir led by PT Nusantara Tembesi Baru Energi (NTBE), a joint venture between PLN Nusantara Renewables (51%) and PT Batam Tirta Surya (49%), a subsidiary of publicly listed PT TBS Energi Utama (IDX: TOBA). While both projects are situated on the same reservoir, they are independent ventures with separate stakeholders and objectives.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak
