The Construction Of PLTPs In Mount Lawu And Slamet Ngadat, Ganjar: Local Communities Don't Agree

Central Java Governor, Ganjar Pranowo. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said his province has enormous potential for new and renewable energy sources (EBT), ranging from geothermal to swamp gas. However, these potentials have not been fully utilized.

"Some of the existing (EBT) potentials have not been well exploited," he said in a virtual discussion, Tuesday, March 2.

Currently, the government is starting to suppress the use of fossil fuels. PLN will convert 2 GW of Diesel Power Plant (PLTD) to New and Renewable Energy Generation (EBT).

With the abundant potential of EBT, said Ganjar, the Central Java Provincial Government supports the program carried out by PLN. For this reason, various investment projects have been prepared.

Ganjar said, one of the EBT owned by Central Java Province is swamp gas. According to him, because there are quite a lot of them in Central Java, his party is trying to implement it in several places.

Based on the study conducted, said Ganjar, Central Java has swamp gas reserves of 14,528,394 SCF. The Central Java Provincial Government has developed the utilization of swamp gas potential in 8 regions in Central Java.

The areas are Sragen Regency, Cilacap Regency, Semarang Regency, Banjarnegara Regency, and Grobogan Regency.

Apart from swamp gas, said Ganjar, Central Java also has considerable geothermal potential. It is recorded that the potential energy generated from geothermal energy in Central Java can reach 517 MW. However, the use of this energy source is still constrained by public rejection.

"Now, Gunung Lawu wants to be prepared (an investment project for the Geothermal Power Plant or PLTP), but the people have not agreed," said Ganjar.

The same problem also occurred on Mount Slamet. Ganjar said, the development was hampered by resistance from the community who felt that this project was destroying the forest.

"Mount Slamet has been running stagnant investment. So when the big investment was started, it turned out that the people had not been very socialized, talked to so that the protest was actually managing geothermal or trying to destroy the forest," he said.

Ganjar said that the success of utilizing geothermal energy as done in the Dieng Mountains must be continued in other areas. This is because the Central Java Provincial Government has recorded that the geothermal working area (WKP) in Dieng has succeeded in producing 60 MW of energy.

Now, as many as 3 WKP in Central Java have entered the exploration stage. These WKPs are located in Umbul Telomoyo, Baturaden, and Ungaran.

The Ungaran WKP is projected to be capable of producing 55 MW of electric power. However, said Ganjar, the success of this project really depends on community support.

"This local potential is quite good and this is a strong commitment from friends. While we are educating people to want to do this and we try to assist with the strengths we have," he said.