Chevron Corporation has announced the commencement of commercial production at its 110-megawatt (MW) Darajat III geothermal power plant in Garut, West Java, Indonesia.

Production from the Darajat III unit, operated by Chevron''s subsidiary Chevron Geothermal Indonesia, Ltd., increases the total capacity at the Darajat geothermal facility to 259 MW. The combined output from Chevron''s Darajat and Salak geothermal operations now produces sufficient renewable energy to supply approximately 3.9 million homes in Indonesia.

"Chevron is proud to be involved in the development of this significant renewable energy project, which builds on our position as the largest geothermal energy producer in the world," said John Watson, president of Chevron International Exploration and Production. "Over the past 30 years, Chevron has been working with countries such as Indonesia to harness their geothermal resources to meet growing energy demand and sustainable development objectives."

Through its geothermal operations in Indonesia and the Philippines, Chevron is a leader in developing the world''s geothermal fields. Chevron''s global geothermal operations have installed capacity to produce a total of 1,273 MW of geothermal energy, accounting for more than half of all privately developed capacity.

Chris Prattini, managing director of Chevron''s IndoAsia business unit, said, "We extend our gratitude to the government and community for their ongoing support of our geothermal operations. Chevron has had a presence in Indonesia for more than 80 years, and we are pleased to be able to bring our leading-edge technology, reservoir management skill and drilling capabilities to help develop the country''s geothermal resources for the people of Indonesia."

The Darajat III unit has been approved by the United Nations as a clean development mechanism (CDM) project, a market-based instrument of the UN''s Kyoto Protocol to encourage implementation of cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions. It is the largest geothermal energy project to be registered under the CDM programme.

Chevron operates four geothermal facilities in the Asia-Pacific region. In the early 1970s, the company made two discoveries in the Philippines, which led to the development of the Tiwi and Mak-Ban geothermal resources. Commercial production from two further discoveries, Salak and Darajat in West Java, Indonesia, began in the 1990s. Darajat Units II and III were developed in conjunction with local Indonesian partner PT. Darajat Geothermal Indonesia under a Joint Operation Contract with Pertamina.