Potret Ketimpangandan EnergiEkstraktif diMentawai

This fact sheet by Trend Asia examines the failures of biomass energy projects and the resulting land inequality in the Mentawai Islands. It highlights the collapse of 'bamboo electricity' projects, the threat of deforestation from industrial forestry concessions, and the disparity between large corporate land grants and the small, slow-to-be-recognized customary lands of indigenous communities.

• Biomass power plants (PLTBm) established in three villages on Siberut Island failed quickly, with some operating for only six months and others for less than a year. By 2022, these plants were defunct, and the area relied on temporary mobile generators from PLN.
• The 'bamboo electricity' initiative failed because local bamboo was unsuitable for burning. This led to the forced harvesting of wood from indigenous forests, which caused frequent machine breakdowns and required government subsidies totaling Rp 12 billion over three years (Rp 4 billion in 2019, Rp 6 billion in the second year, and Rp 2 billion in the third).
• There is a significant disparity in land allocation between corporate concessions and indigenous lands. While industrial forestry permits (PBPH) can reach 100,000 hectares, recognized indigenous forests in Siberut are small, ranging from 6.44 to 1,912 hectares. Currently, 7,265 hectares are recognized across nine communities, while 18,839 hectares await recognition.
• The Mentawai Islands face high risks of hydrological disasters, including landslides and drought, which could be mitigated by preserving forests. However, 61,000 hectares of deforestation occurred between 2017 and 2021, primarily in production forests, and another 190,000 hectares of natural forest in production areas remain threatened.
• The promotion of bioenergy is questioned given that other renewable potentials in West Sumatra are significantly higher: solar (5,898 MW), micro-hydro (1,353 MW), and water (1,100 MW), compared to bioenergy's 923.1 MW.

APA

Trend Asia (n.d.). Potret Ketimpangandan EnergiEkstraktif diMentawai. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Potret-Ketimpangan-dan-Energi-Ekstraktif-di-Mentawai-Rev.pdf

Chicago

Trend Asia. Potret Ketimpangandan EnergiEkstraktif diMentawai. n.d. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Potret-Ketimpangan-dan-Energi-Ekstraktif-di-Mentawai-Rev.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Trend Asia |title=Potret Ketimpangandan EnergiEkstraktif diMentawai |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Potret-Ketimpangan-dan-Energi-Ekstraktif-di-Mentawai-Rev.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trendasiandpotret, author = {{Trend Asia}}, title = {{Potret Ketimpangandan EnergiEkstraktif diMentawai}}, institution = {Trend Asia}, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Potret-Ketimpangan-dan-Energi-Ekstraktif-di-Mentawai-Rev.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }