Development of Biomass-Energy : Wood Pellet – A Collaboration Between Perum Perhutani and Korean Green Promotion Agency (KGPA)

Wood pellets is a biomass energy and renewable energy sources derived from wood and is expected to be able to replace fossil fuels, especially coal. Currently the presence of wood pellets has attracted attention of many parties, since it is a source of environmentally friendly energy. Some experts say that the burning of wood pellets as a source of energy is carbon neutral, which means that during the trees grown for raw material of wood pellets, they take carbon from the atmosphere during the  process of photo synthesis, and returns the carbon to the atmosphere when wood pellets burned. In this case, according to the theory, a closed carbon cycle occurs without an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, so that the use of wood pellets as a source of energy will contribute to the reduction of emissions in line with Indonesia national commitments to undertake reduction of carbon emissions by 26% by 2020. Besides, it also will a source of alternative energy for Indonesia.

The raw material of wood pellets can be sawdust, wood, rice straw, rice husk, coconut coir, residual sugar cane, palm trunks and others. Fast growing tree species  such as kalindra, acacia, albisia, Leucaena, Gliricidia are good for the raw material.  They have good amount  of calories ranging of 4500-4800 Kcal / Kg (as a comparison, calorie of coal generally around 7000 Kcal / Kg.). The species of trees that is currently mostly being  developed for raw material of  wood pellets are kaliandra and Gliricidia that have calories around 4800 Kcal / Kg.  Besides the high calorie, productivity of those two species also quite high by applying coppice system.

For the development of wood pellets as biomass renewable energy, since the year 2013 Perum Perhutani has developed a cooperation with Korea Green Promotion Agency (KGPA). This cooperation includes the planting experiment for the species Gliricidia of 2000 ha in Semarang (Grobogan) which will be a source of raw material for wood pellets. The area of 2000 Ha plantation is the minimum area for the source of raw material for production of wood pellets with a production capacity of approximately 50,000 tons per year. If the experimental planting of 2000 hectares is later considered successful, this planting cooperation will be expanded up to 10,000 ha.

Within the framework of this cooperation, in mid-2017 the KGPA planning to build a wood pellet mill around the planting site, with a production capacity of approximately 50,000 tons / year. To ensure the continuity of the production, the President Director of Perum Perhutani (Mustoha Iskandar) states that Perhutani is ready to support the provision of raw materials, and he expected that this cooperation can be mutually beneficial for both parties.  The statement was made on the occasion of the inauguration of Nursery and Training Centre built by KGPA in the planting site on February 26, 2015. The capacity of the nursery is around 3 million seeds / year with an area of ​​3 hectares. While training center building approximately  ​​1,140 m2.  The inauguration also attended by Dr. Lee Chang Bae (KGPA Indonesia President Director), Dr. Kong Young-ho (Director Golabl Business HQ KGPA Seoul) and Dr. Park Eun-sik (Korea Forest Service).