PLN NP Disrupts Generation Waste Into Plentong Beach Wave Breakers

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - PLN Nusantara Power (PLN NP) through one of its generating units, UP Indramayu utilizes and converts Fly Ash and Bottom Ash (FABA) into tetrapods or wavebreakers applied around Plentong Beach, Sukra, Indramayu, and turns the area into a tourist area that is crowded with visits.

President Director of PLN NP, Ruly Firmansyah said, this program is motivated by the higher sea water rise on the coast of Java than the global average. The sea water rise rate on the coast of Java reaches 5.12 mm each year. This figure is higher than the global sea level increase which is only 3.1 mm per year. With this high figure, there is a real risk faced by residents around Plentong Beach, which is the threat of abrasion.

"Ujunggebang Village, which is located in the area around UP Indramayu, has lost 15.83 land Ha (assuming 2008-2017) due to continued abrasion. If the solution is not found, this abrasion has the potential to erode residents' agricultural land due to exposure to sea water," he said, Monday, May 27.

Ruly said, based on social mapping carried out in Ujunggebang Village in 2017, there was a reduction in land function reaching 50 Ha which has the potential to threaten settlements for 4,546 residents. In it there are 8.1 Ha agricultural and residential land.

PLN Nusantara Power through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program PLN Peduli by PLN Nusantara Power sees the potential that can be developed in the surrounding area based on FABA management. This potential can also change the face of the region to a tourist area and turn the wheels of the economy of local residents.

He added that PLN NP has deployed its best team in seeing, mapping and also formulating the CSR program to overcome this abrasion problem. Since 2017, PLN NP has collaborated with surrounding community groups to work together to realize community empowerment-based tourism on Plentong Beach.

"The FABA that we processed became tetrapod and was applied at Plentong Beach turned out to be one of the magnets in attracting tourists, in addition to its main goal as a barrier wave solver. We have absorbed 339 tetrapods and 196.85 tons of FABA to help prevent this abrasion," added Ruly.

In utilizing FABA, PLN NP collaborates and assists the community to be able to make brokenwater products that have been researched. The development of Plentong Beach tourism has also been detailed, which has been carried out together. This tourist area has the aim of forming an independent community that can manage assets for disaster mitigation.

This Community-Based Tourism has succeeded in absorbing 40 workers managed by the Plentong Maju Sejahtera Cooperative. The community groups involved also have expertise in making breakwater products and concrete products and their derivatives as an effort to overcome abrasion.

This program also has economic value where the resulting tetrapod has a price of 36 percent cheaper than similar products in the market. In addition, thanks to slick management, the community's economy has increased to millions of rupiah for each tenant. This is comparable to the average tourist visits to 3000 each month.

The initial goal of the program in overcoming major problems has also been achieved. After the implementation of the program, it was recorded that there was a slowdown in the abrasion rate around Ujunggebang beach for 400 meters. The abrasion phenomenon also fell from 1.7 Ha (2014-2017) to 0.49 within 4 years (2018-2022) or equivalent to 78 percent. In addition, through massive tree planting and mangroves, it also provides land protection for 8.1 Ha of rice fields and residential areas and protects residents' yields of 102.14 tons per year.

As one of the beneficiaries and drivers of change, Kusnanto, chairman of the Plentong Maju Sejahtera Cooperative expressed his appreciation and high hopes for the sustainability of the PLN NP UP Indramayu program. For him, the program has become a common platform for the community for climate change and a better region.

"Maintaining the environment is not just wishful thinking, but concrete actions are also needed. I found this in the CSR PLN Cares by PLN NP UP Indramayu program in guarding Plentong Beach until it becomes as big as now," said Kusnanto.