This serves as (a source of) hope for Perhutani to be able to get additional income, as our core (methods) has been dominated by loggers and pine resin tappersJakarta (ANTARA) - State-owned Perum Perhutani has claimed it is managing 31,136 hectares of energy plantation forests, which will supply partial replacement fuel or coal mixture to the PLTU.
The company has been growing energy plants, gamal and calliandra, in Java and Madura since 2019, president director of Perhutani, Wahyu Kuncoro, informed.
"(The power generated by) gamal and calliandra is more or less similar to coal energy. Until the end of 2021, we have implemented calliandra and gamal plants in an area of 31 thousand hectares," he said in a written statement on Wednesday.
Government Regulation No. 77 of 2010 mandates the state forestry public company to manage forests in Java and Madura, which are spread over a total area of 2.4 million hectares, he added.
Based on the company's long-term plan, Perhutani will expand the area under energy plantation forests to 65 thousand hectares by 2024, he said.
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The company will supply sawdust to some steam power plants owned by state electricity company PT PLN, he informed. The use of sawdust will support the government's efforts to implement new renewable energy as a part of its commitment to reduce carbon emissions in Indonesia, he said.
Perhutani estimates that the energy plantation forest cluster will produce 20 million tons of biomass and meet the total national demand of 9 million tons of biomass per year, he added.
Aside from setting up energy plantations, the state-owned company is also planning to build a biomass industry for producing wood chips and sawdust, he said.
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The company will build the industry in collaboration with PT Perkebunan Nusantara III and PLN, complete with assistance from the Center for Energy Studies from Gadjah Mada University, he added. The measure part of efforts to fulfill the fuel needs of steam power plants in a consistent and sustainable manner, he said.
"This serves as (a source of) hope for Perhutani to be able to get additional income, as our core (methods) has been dominated by loggers and pine resin tappers," he added.
The government is optimistic that Indonesia will be emissions-free in the future through the implementation of policies geared towards a green economy. To meet that end, it has been promoting the use of transportation modes that use renewable energy, such as electric vehicles.
Recently, the Jakarta Governor said that the capital will replace half of its bus rapid transit fleet with electric vehicles as a way to support the decision.
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Translator: Sugiharto P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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