Jakarta, TAMBANG, – Various steps have been taken by PT PLN Energi Primer Indonesia (PLN EPI) to strengthen the development of the national biomass ecosystem. This time PT PLN EPI is collaborating with PT Panah Perak Megasarana (PPM) in biomass management to support the energy transition and achieve the Net Zero Emissions target. The collaboration between the two companies was confirmed through the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.
PLN EPI Biomass Director Hokkop Situngkir explained that the use of biomass for PLTU co-firing has shown a significant increasing trend since it was first implemented in 2020. In 2025, PLN EPI targets biomass use to reach 3 million tons, almost double the realization in the previous year.
“Indonesia has enormous biomass potential from agricultural, plantation and forestry waste. The potential for utilizing waste from palm oil derivative products in Indonesia is also very large, both in the form of solid materials, namely palm shells and empty fruit bunches, as well as liquid materials, namely pome, into bioenergy products as renewable energy to support national energy independence. The challenge lies in supply chain integration and ensuring the legality of raw material sources. Therefore, collaboration with partners who have a sustainable approach is important,” said Hokkop.
Meanwhile, the President Director of PT Panah Perak Megasarana, Agussalim Igarashi, admitted that the company currently operates a biomass pellet factory in Bekasi, West Java with a capacity of 7 tons per hour. The company will also expand in early 2026 with the addition of 2 x 3.5 tons per hour. This will make the biomass pellet factory have an installed capacity of 14 tons per hour or 7,800 tons per month. Apart from that, the company is currently completing the construction of its second biomass pellet factory in Palembang with progress reaching around 90 percent. The factory is targeted to have a production capacity of around 26 tons per hour or the equivalent of 15,900 tons per month.
“The main machine has arrived in Palembang and in the next one to two days it will begin to be installed. This will be our initial production base to support domestic biomass needs,” explained Agussalim.
Apart from Palembang, Panah Perak Megasarana is also preparing to develop a similar factory in Aceh, specifically in the Nagan Raya area, which is targeted for ground breaking in early 2026 in a location close to the power plant area. According to Agussalim, development is carried out by paying attention to spatial planning aspects, regulatory compliance, as well as environmental and social sustainability principles.
Beyond biomass pellets, the company is also developing biocoal products based on low rank coal combined with biomass. From the test results, this product is able to reach a calorific value of up to 6,667 kcal and is targeted to increase to 7,500 kcal with the development of advanced nano additive technology.
“The advantage is the very low sulfur content, so it has the potential to be used in the steel industry and other sectors that require fuel with cleaner emissions,” he said.
Agussalim also added, since the beginning of communication with PLN EPI, his party has had the same vision to encourage the acceleration of the national energy transition through the use of green energy and strengthening the role of BUMN, especially PLN EPI, through the provision of efficient and economically valuable biomass products.
Through this collaboration, PLN EPI and Panah Perak Megasarana will synergize in various aspects, starting from regional potential studies, technology development, management of biomass raw materials, to risk assessment and social and environmental mitigation. PLN EPI assesses that collaboration between industry players is the key to ensuring sustainable biomass supply while supporting the national energy mix in the future.
Source: www.tambang.co.id
