Mataram, NTB, Sept. 8 -- West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) plans to convert six small coal-fired power plants to solar facilities, advancing its shift from fossil fuels toward renewable energy, the provincial government said here Tuesday.

Samsudin, head of the province's Energy and Mineral Resources Office, said state utility PLN presented the conversion plan during a meeting with Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal.

PLN also identified 1.73 gigawatts of renewable-energy potential in the province, mainly from solar and wind power, Samsudin said in Mataram.

He said the estimated potential could increase as plans to replace coal-fired generation with solar power progress, based on PLN's assessment.

The conversion plan covers sites across Lombok and Sumb...