Political Hegemony of Energy Plantations

The paper argues that biomass energy projects, framed as climate change mitigation, serve as a mechanism for 'energy grabbing' and the reconcentration of land control by Perhutani. Through case studies in Sukabumi, Grobogan, and Bojonegoro, it demonstrates how the classification of land as 'unproductive' or 'critical' is used to dispossess local farmers and transform them into low-paid laborers. The study finds that the promotion of gamal and kaliandra as 'flex trees' restricts community access to essential resources like firewood and fodder, while triggering localized resistance and criminalization of farmers.

• The development of energy crops in Java is used by Perhutani to reconcentrate control over community-cultivated land, often by unilaterally reclassifying farmers' land as "critical land" or "unproductive land" to justify its appropriation.
• The biomass energy business transforms gamal and kaliandra into "flex trees" that serve dual purposes: commodifying the forest for economic value and restricting community access to the land.
• Energy plantation projects obstruct agrarian reform and land redistribution efforts, as Perhutani uses the planting of biomass crops to provide legitimacy for refusing to release territory to local residents.
• Local communities are marginalized through a labor system that mobilizes them as low-paid, contract-based piecework laborers, often under coercive conditions where access to land is tied to their willingness to work.
• The expansion of energy crops has led to the criminalization of rural residents who resist land grabbing by uprooting biomass plants and replacing them with food crops.
• The biomass co-firing program for coal-fired power plants (PLTU) is criticized for producing significant carbon emissions throughout its supply chain, contradicting claims of carbon neutrality.
• In Bojonegoro, some energy crop plantations have failed because Perhutani could not reach price agreements with private buyers, leaving harvested wood idle.

APA

Gara, R. O., Saifulloh, M. K., & Habib (2024). Political Hegemony of Energy Plantations. Trend Asia. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TrendAsia-Political-Hegemony-of-Energy-Plantations.pdf

Chicago

Gara, Rendi Oman, M. Khorik Saifulloh, and Habib. Political Hegemony of Energy Plantations. Trend Asia, 2024. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TrendAsia-Political-Hegemony-of-Energy-Plantations.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gara |first1=Rendi Oman |last2=Saifulloh |first2=M. Khorik |last3=Habib |title=Political Hegemony of Energy Plantations |publisher=Trend Asia |date=1 October 2024 |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TrendAsia-Political-Hegemony-of-Energy-Plantations.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gara2024political, author = {Gara, Rendi Oman and Saifulloh, M. Khorik and Habib}, title = {{Political Hegemony of Energy Plantations}}, institution = {Trend Asia}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TrendAsia-Political-Hegemony-of-Energy-Plantations.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }