Pertamina New and Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE) and HyET Clean Energy Solutions (HCES) have signed a non-binding term sheet to jointly develop, test, and commercialise advanced electrochemical technologies in Indonesia.

Invest International has signed a letter of intent for their involvement in the collaboration.

This collaboration outlines the framework for a multi-phase joint program ('the Project') to validate technical performance and commercial feasibility, and to explore future manufacturing and licensing rights within Indonesia and the broader ASEAN region.

Pertamina NRE brings strategic advantages through its geothermal resources, including abundant low-cost baseload power, high-quality geothermal steam, and relatively pure CO₂ streams.

These inputs form an ideal foundation for producing green hydrogen which then combined with biogenic CO₂ can be further developed as green synthetic fuel, a key raw material for e-methanol and e-SAF/e-fuels – crucial for decarbonising aviation, shipping, and other hard-to-abate sectors.

HCES contributes innovative electrochemical technologies, including:

Proton-conducting solid oxide steam electrolysis (p-SOEC): A high-efficiency electrolysis technology that converts geothermal steam directly into green hydrogen at significantly lower operating temperatures compared to traditional solid oxide steam electrolysis (SOEC).
Single-step CO₂ electrolysis: A novel process that converts geothermal CO₂ into carbon monoxide using low-cost geothermal baseload electricity.

Together, these technologies can enable cost-effective production of green hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and ultimately green synthetic fuel, positioning Indonesia as a competitive hub for the regional e-fuels and green chemicals market.

The potential site for the initial pilot has been preliminarily identified within the Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) facilities in Kamojang, subject to further technical and administrative assessments.

The first phase of cooperation aims to jointly develop:

A 1 MW pilot steam electrolyser based on HCES’s p-SOEC technology, utilising steam and power from the Kamojang geothermal plant.
A 1 MW pilot CO₂ electrolyser using geothermal CO₂ and electricity from the same site.

The pilot project will generate critical technical and financial data required for scaling to a 10 MW full-scale e-chemicals manufacturing facility in Indonesia.

Such a facility could serve as a production hub for the ASEAN region and help build a domestic supply chain based on critical materials, including nickel.

The timeline for the first pilot is from the beginning- until the end of 2026, once this pilot is achieving the objectives, the scaling/commercialisation phase would be followed right after that.