Indonesia’s PT Hutama Karya and PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy are among the recipients of Bentley Systems’ Founder’s Honors 2025. The two organisations have won the awards for their work on the Trans Papua Road – Mamberamo-Elelim section and Lumut Balai Unit-3, respectively. The full list of the winners can be viewed here.
Trans Papua Road – Mamberamo-Elelim section
Spanning 50.14 km across Papua, the Mamberamo-Elelim section of the Trans Papua roadway project serves as a critical connection corridor, reducing travel times from five or six hours to one hour and 20 minutes, bringing life-changing accessibility to one of Indonesia’s most isolated mountainous regions. Hutama Karya is leading the project and faced steep terrain, high rainfall and erosion-prone slopes, limiting accessibility and subsurface data collection quality. To overcome geographical isolation, geotechnical uncertainty and logistical complexities, the team needed integrated geoengineering technology.
Hutama Karya leveraged Bentley iTwin Capture to generate a precise 3D reality terrain mesh, using Leapfrog, GeoStudio and Plaxis to perform geotechnical and subsurface modelling and analysis. This process provided visual and topographical insight to optimise design and save up to US$1 million in costs. Bentley’s integrated applications facilitated comprehensive slope stability analysis and risk mitigation strategies, saving approximately US$2.5 million in potential rework and reducing carbon emissions by 49,672 kg. The digital solution ensured accurate planning, efficient design and sustainable delivery.
Lumut Balai Unit-3
The Lumut Balai Unit-3 geothermal project aims to meet growing electricity demands in South Sumatra by delivering 55 MW of renewable power by 2029. Upon completion, it will electrify 60,000 remote households and reduce annual carbon emissions by 300,000 t. Geothermal project teams typically relied on traditional oil and gas workflows that were fragmented, inefficient and failed to meet specific geothermal analysis needs. To optimise geoscientific assessments and meet drilling targets, they required a digital data-driven approach that supported multidiscipline collaboration.
Leveraging Leapfrog, Oasis montaj and Volsung, Pertamina Geothermal Energy established an integrated digital platform specifically for geothermal analysis, enabling seamless collaboration, real-time data integration and accelerated decision making. Through comprehensive, accurate subsurface modelling and analysis, the team shortened the project’s feasibility phase by 50%, lowered drilling risks from 48% to 15% and reduced drilling costs by US$1.5 million per well. The project sets a precedent for digital data-driven geothermal initiatives aligned with national and global sustainability targets.
Image 1: PT Hutama Karya
Image 2: PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy
