The Social Issue on Indonesia Geothermal Project

Abstract

Geothermal project development can only be reached when most affected stakeholders support the project. This may include the geothermal developer, local community, local government, central government or policy makers, the offtake purchaser, and mass media. It is widely known that it is not easy in Indonesia to get support from local communities, which in turn creates delays in executing the geothermal project. Public acceptance is practically a requirement for the promotion and successful implementation of geothermal power development projects. Achieving social acceptance requires trust between the developers and the local communities. While failure to gain trust from the public risk the developer to costly conflicts and time delays, which may also affect the implementation of geothermal project in other places in Indonesia. To gain social acceptance, local communities first need to understand and agree with the implementation of the project. This study aims to map various rejection to geothermal project by local communities in Indonesia. The mapping is conducted through literature review to obtain the data related community concerns and fear of the project impacts. The mapping result is then discussed with several experts in geothermal to determine the essential factor of rejection. This study is expected to raise awareness of the importance of implementing proper actions in gaining public trust in the geothermal project and encourage the development of geothermal as sustainable energy executed through the implementation of sustainable business practices, whether in exploration or development phase. Finally, this study offers the preliminary option for engaging the local community in the geothermal project area.