JAKARTA – Indonesia has potential of biomass for bioenergy production up to 83.4 million tons per year, but so far it is only realized at around 22 million tons. The untapped potential opens a big opportunity for Indonesia to strengthen its national energy resilience while reducing carbon emissions in the electricity sector.
PT PLN Energi Primer Indonesia (PLN EPI) has now accelerated the use of bioenergy as one of pillars of energy transitions implemented by the company. PLN EPI’s Biomass Director Hokkop Situngkir said the trend of bioenergy use had seen a robust growth globally, especially in Finland, Sweden, and Austria, which has adopted the bioenergy as the main source of renewable energy.
“In Indonesia the use of bioenergy is only about 5.0 percent of its total potential. Actually, this is a big opportunity for Indonesia. It has a huge potential, but it has to develop an ecosystem of biomass supply chain to enable it to support its power plants sustainably,” Hokkop said in a written statement on Sunday (14/12/2025).
Based on a joint mapping conducted by the government, the biomass potential scatters across Indonesia with the largest contribution from Sumatra island. The biomass mainly comes from wastes of palm oil industries, woods, and agriculture, which are mostly not yet absorbed optimally.
The bioenergy has become part of the decarbonization strategy of PLN, in line with the target of Net Zero Emissions by 2060. The Indonesian government through enhanced NDC has targeted to use 9.0 million tons of biomass in 2030 for supporting the program of cofiring, which is a partial substitution of coal for power generation in coal-fired power plants (PLTU). The program of cofiring has been implemented in 49 PLTU.
PLN EPI reported that as of 30 November 2025, the cofiring has been implemented in 49 PLTU, with biomass procurement reaching 2.2 million tons and reduction of emissions at 2.53 million tons of CO2e. The types of biomass that passed the quality test rose to 14 types, including palm wastes, agricultural wastes, and city wastes (solid recovered fuel — SRF). The target of biomass use in 2025 is set at 3.0 million tons.
Hokkop added that PLN EPI stated the program of de-dieselization and production of biogas/Bio-CNG from palm oil mill effluent (POME), as an alternative primary energy for gas-fired power plants and diesel machines. The initiative is expected to be able to reduce operating costs, especially in remote areas that are dependent on imported fossil fuels (BBM).
“Our challenge is to ensure that the supply of biomass can be sustainable. For such purpose, we involve cooperatives, village-owned companies (BUMDes), and the private sector for development of biomass production hub,” said Hokkop.
PLN EPI with related ministries are developing a network of hub and sub-hubs in many regions. The facilities will become collecting points of the needed raw materials, production of biomass pellets, and control of quality before being sent to power plants. The program will also open job opportunities and become a new source of income in the biomass producing villages.
Hokkop emphasized that the acceleration of bioenergy use is not just related to environmental agenda, but a key strategy to strengthen national energy resilience, reduce dependence of imported fossil fuels-based energy, and develop green economy based on domestic potential.
“With the right collaborations and investments, bioenergy can become the backbone of Indonesia’s energy resilience,” he said. (*)
Sawit Indonesia. Indonesia Has Potential of Biomass for Bioenergy Production up to 83.4 Million Tons per Year. SawitIndonesia.com, 14 December 2025.
