The Exploration Of PLTP Development In Cipanas Will Pay Attention To Environmental Impacts

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The government through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is seriously paying attention to the impact of development and exploration for the Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) project in a number of areas in Indonesia on the environment.

This aims to ensure the expansion of access to energy and public safety, especially those around project development sites.

Director of Geothermal, Directorate General of EBTKE of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Harris explained, one of the newly started PLTP projects is the Cipanas Preliminary and Exploration Survey Assignment (PSPE) in Cipanas District and Pacet District, Cianjur Regency, West Java Province.

The available geothermal resources in the Cipanas PSPE area are estimated at 85 MW, with the plan to develop the Cipanas PLTP project at 55 MW.

The Cipanas PLTP is targeted to be able to operate commercially by 2030. Assuming one house is installed with 900 watts of electricity, the Cipanas 55 MW PLTP is estimated to be an electricity source for approximately 61,000 families.

Currently, preparations and activities for the Cipanas PSPE are being carried out, where the licensing process for the use of space and the preparation of environmental documents and the implementation of activity socialization to communities around Cipandawa and Sindangjaya villages is currently underway. The surface geoscience survey activity scheduled for December 2022 was delayed due to the earthquake that occurred in the Cianjur area.

Regarding the earthquake disaster that occurred in the Cianjur area, according to the Land Movement Disaster Emergency Response Report published by the Geological Agency on November 29, 2022, it can be concluded that the Cianjur earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 SR that occurred on November 21, 2022 at 13:21:10 WIB had an epicenter of the earthquake which was at coordinates 6.84 LS - 107.05 East Longitude and a depth of 11 km.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Cianjur earthquake was an earthquake allegedly caused by the movement of Cimandiri faults/fractions. Regions in West Java, including Cianjur, are in active and complex tectonic areas that cause earthquake vulnerabilities.

BMKG explained that not only are they prone to earthquakes, Sukabumi, Cianjur, Lembang, Purwakarta and Bandung areas tectonically are active and complex seismic areas so that the area is often affected by shallow earthquakes. So it is not appropriate if the Cianjur earthquake is associated with geothermal activity in the Cipanas area.

"The Cipanas area is not associated with the cause of the Cianjur earthquake which is sourced from the movement of tectonic faults, which are thought to be related to the Cimandiri fault. Thus it can be concluded that the Cianjur earthquake is not related to the activity of PSPE Cipanas, which is currently just starting licensing activities and surface geoscience surveys," Harris told the media quoted on Thursday, February 16.

Harris added that in commercial operations such as Kamojang, Darajat, Wayang Windu and Salak, there was no correlation between geothermal utilization and tectonic earthquake events. Until now, geothermal operational activities in the field continue to run well and safely.

In order to achieve equal distribution of energy, especially those from clean energy, the Government, in this case the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, hopes for support from the entire community and stakeholders so that preliminary and exploration survey activities in the Cipanas PSPE area can be realized. Until later the Cipanas PLTP can become the first PLTP to be built and operate in Cianjur Regency.

Through geothermal activities, there are many benefits and positive contributions that can be obtained, including the provision of environmentally friendly electricity, increasing investment both from within and outside the country, fiscal contributions, geothermal prospects that reside in forest areas can help preserve biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions and save on the use of electricity infrastructure land.

He added that geothermal activities in an area will also encourage regional/local economic improvement through the availability of infrastructure and access roads that can be passed, the opening of new jobs, increasing regional revenues in the form of Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) and production bonuses, the participation of business entities through social and environmental / Corporate Social Responsibility responsibilities, which generally synergize with local community activities as catalysts for the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).