PLN IP uses community-grown sorghum biomass at Pelabuhan Ratu coal-fired plant

PT PLN Indonesia Power (PLN IP) is using sorghum powder biomass, produced by the local community, as a co-firing fuel mix with coal at the Pelabuhan Ratu coal-fired power plant (PLTU) in West Java.

PLN Indonesia Power President Director Bernadus Sudarmanta stated the company is reinforcing its commitment to supporting the clean energy transition through community-based biomass utilisation. He explained that involving the community in producing sorghum powder represents a tangible synergy between the energy and agricultural sectors, supporting energy security while empowering the regional economy.

“We want to ensure that communities around our operational areas also experience the economic benefits of every energy transformation step we undertake,” Bernadus said.

He noted that sorghum cultivation provides broad added value: the grains support food security, while the stalks and leaves are processed into sorghum powder for co-firing fuel at the Pelabuhan Ratu plant. Through synergy between state-owned enterprises, regional government, and farmers, the programme also addresses market certainty challenges, with PLN acting as a ready buyer (off-taker) for the community’s harvest.

PLN Indonesia Power hopes this synergy can be maintained and expanded so that more communities in Sukabumi Regency feel the direct economic impact of the green energy supply chain, in line with the company’s commitment to supporting the implementation of clean energy transition in Indonesia.

Bernadus added that the programme’s success at Pelabuhan Ratu serves as a model that can be replicated at other PLN IP units. “We are committed to continuously expanding this community-based biomass programme, in line with our efforts to accelerate the achievement of net zero emissions targets while realising an independent circular economy in various operational areas,” he said.

Previously, the West Java 2 Pelabuhan Ratu Generation Business Unit (UBP) conducted a mass harvest of sorghum at the Cilegok Sorghum Plantation in Ciemas District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java. The event, attended by Sukabumi Vice Regent Andreas, marked the success of an initiative that has been running since 2025, from the planting stage and harvest period through to the first delivery of sorghum powder to the Pelabuhan Ratu plant. This strategic move is a transformative effort combining the agricultural and energy sectors to strengthen the community-based biomass supply chain.