PLN Strengthens Biomass Supply To Replace Coal At PLTU

Illustration - Distribution of biomass products to supply fuel at steam power plants. (Antara)

JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) through its subsidiary PT Energi Primer Indonesia strengthens the supply chain of biomass as a substitute for coal in Steam Power Plants (PLTU).

President Director of PT Energi Primer Indonesia Iwan Agung Firstantara said that his party had signed a memorandum of understanding with PT Energy Management Indonesia and PT Alpha Rizki Teknologi for the development and management of biomass.

"The collaboration is to meet the demand for biomass supply as a substitute for PLTU coal by utilizing local resources," he said in Jakarta as quoted by Antara, Sunday.

Agung said that his party is utilizing biomass as a co-firing program for PLTU which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to build a people's economy through community empowerment in the provision of biomass.

According to him, community involvement in the program helps improve the economy and ensures a sustainable supply of biomass in the co-firing program for PLTU.

Biomass Director of PT Energi Primer Indonesia Antonius Aris Sudjatmiko said the memorandum of understanding with the two companies to strengthen the biomass supply chain had been initiated since last year.

During this time there have been several embryos of joint activities, namely finding local sources of biomass, collecting unprocessed biomass around the PLTU, and seeing the potential for production market facilities where Alpha Rizki Teknologi is involved as an investor and Energy Management Indonesia as an aggregator for planting biomass through CSR program.

This year, PLN needs 1.05 million tons of biomass products. This amount is expected to continue to increase to 10 million tons in 2025.

The huge demand for biomass requires massive activities in the form of planting energy crops starting with the energy forest ecosystem and synchronizing the biomass supply chain with the coal supply chain.

Even idle land around coal mines can also be used to plant biomass trees which can improve the economic standard of the local community.

"PLN continues to collaborate with various parties to support the government to achieve the target of net zero emission in 2060 and at the same time strive for sustainable economic development through the co-firing program of biomass," concluded Aris.