Geothermal Project Opens Up Mountain Access and Employs 2,000 Local Workers

Bandung (ANTARA) – PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk is seeking to deliver broader benefits from geothermal development, opening up isolated mountain areas and sustainably stimulating the local economy by employing up to 2,000 local workers.

“Geothermal development should be seen as more than just electricity; what matters is the benefit it brings to the community,” PGE Operations Director Andi Joko said at the Kamojang Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) site in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday.

Andi explained that geothermal industry activity in mountainous areas encourages the construction of supporting infrastructure, such as roads. These routes directly connect isolated areas and spur new economic activity along operational corridors.

Geothermal projects also have a significant impact on local employment. PGE said it routinely employs at least 210 people from nearby communities to support daily operations.

The number of local workers rises sharply when projects reach the peak of physical power-plant construction.

“We can employ up to 2,000 at the peak of building a power plant. Almost all of them are local,” Andi said.

Tina Talisa, Special Staff to the Vice-President for Community Economic Empowerment and Social Development, stressed the importance of direct use of geothermal energy for people living nearby.

She said the benefits of energy should not be directed solely towards areas far from geothermal fields.

“Direct use is not simply a matter of saying, ‘As long as there is corporate social responsibility, that is enough.’ It is about showing that surplus energy which was previously unused can instead benefit the community,” Tina said.

She emphasised that communities living near mountain operations should be the main beneficiaries of the economic and social gains from clean energy.

By integrating renewable energy supply, infrastructure development and local community empowerment, geothermal development is expected to create lasting prosperity for surrounding communities.