Jakarta – Forty percent of geothermal potential, or about 24 Gigawatt (GW) are located in forests, both protected and conservation, officials said Thursday (25/8). As the second largest geothermal producing country in the world, Indonesia has the potential to utilise this new and renewable energy (NRE) as the backbone of the future.
“Geothermal is a mine that does not require large area openings and only requires small land,” said Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong, in a written statement while visiting PT Supreme Energy Muara Laboh in Padang Aro, West Sumatra.
Furthermore, he said, since most of the geothermal resources are located in protected and conservation forest areas, their utilisation must be optimised while maintaining forest sustainability. Geothermal energy management and the existence of forests must support each other.
PT Supreme Energy’s Senior Manager of Business Relations and General Affairs, Ismoyo Argo, said that geothermal energy does not produce any waste so it is very environmentally friendly and also requires forests to maintain water availability. In the geothermal project, there are also biodiversity programs such as ecosystem restoration, reforesting barren areas with productive plants and monitoring animals.
In addition to Muara Laboh, PT Supreme Energy manages geothermal energy in two other locations, namely Rantau Dedap, South Sumatra with a capacity of 91 megawatts which is already operating and Raja Basa, Lampung – both of which are located in protected forests. (Hartatik)
