PLN Turns Corn Waste Into Electricity, Tuban Farmers Harvest Income

JAKARTA - Corn farmers in Tuban Regency, East Java, are now experiencing tangible benefits from efforts to transition energy based on the populist economy.

Through the initiative of PT PLN Nusantara Power (NP) as a subholding of PT PLN (Persero), corncobs and straws that were originally considered worthless, can now be sold to be processed into biomass as alternative fuel or co-firing at PLTU Tanjung Awar-Awar.

A farmer named Muzamil from the Sido Makmur Farmers Group (Poktan) in Beji Village revealed that corn waste has only been allowed to bring additional income.

"Currently, PLTU buys corn waste, so it produces additional rupiah. All Sido Makmur groups thank the father/mother from the Tanjung Awar-Awar PLTU who have attempted this program," he said in a statement on Saturday, October 4, 2025.

The same thing was conveyed by Roni, another farmer from Poktan Sido Makmur. He admitted that he was greatly helped. Not only from an economic point of view, but also from a sustainable agricultural perspective thanks to supporting infrastructure assistance.

"Alhamdulillah, so far corncobs have no value and are only burned, but now they can be used by PLTU and purchased. We feel very helped by it."

"We also received the assistance of spherical wells, which used to have to rent or collect water from afar, now they are more efficient and efficient to irrigate rice fields," he said.

The agricultural waste utilization program is run by PLN NP through the Tanjung Awar-Awar Generation Unit (UP), Tuban, as part of the CSR program entitled Integrated Agricultural Development of Sinergi Energi Village (Si Pandu & Desi).

Tuban Regency is a national corn center with production reaching more than 760,000 tons per year. The production also produces large amounts of agricultural waste, such as straw and corncobs, which were previously burned and did not produce energy.

Now, corn waste from farmers is accommodated by the Cakrawala Nusantara Energy Cooperative (ECN) which is equipped with a hazard mill engine with a capacity of at least 8 tons per day.

The machine is the result of support for the CSR program from PLN NP and has been tested on September 20, 2025.

The head of the ECN Cooperative, Bang Am, said that the existence of the machine made farmers no longer need to burn the remaining harvest. The waste can be sold directly to cooperatives and processed into biomass.

"With this machine, we are able to produce at least 8 tons of biomass per day and are ready to absorb as much corn farming waste as possible," he said.

Meanwhile, the President Director of PLN Nusantara Power Ruly Firmansyah explained that the co-firing biomass at the Tanjung Awar-Awar PLTU is clear evidence that the energy transition can run in line with improving the welfare of the community.

"We are not only suppressing carbon emissions, but also creating added value for local farmers who have had difficulty managing their agricultural waste," he added.