PALMOILMAGAZINE, RIAU – Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLH), Hanif Faisol, visited PT Musim Mas in Pelalawan Regency, Riau, on Saturday (23/11/2024), to develop a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
During the visit, Minister Hanif observed the implementation of methane capture technology at PT Musim Mas’ palm oil mill. He was welcomed by PT Musim Mas’ President Director, Gunawan Siregar.
“We are drafting a roadmap to reduce GHG emissions, particularly methane from the palm oil industry. Here, we observed effective liquid waste management, including methane utilization as fuel for power generation,” Hanif stated in a release to Palmoilmagazine.com.
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Hanif highlighted the significant methane emissions from Indonesia’s palm oil sector. Studies show that crude palm oil (CPO) production in Indonesia generates around 900,000 tons of methane annually, equivalent to 35 million tons of CO2 when converted.
He stressed the urgency of accelerating methane management to enhance Indonesia’s climate change mitigation efforts. The government, he added, is preparing regulations, including ministerial policies and a decree from BPLH, to mandate methane capture technology across the palm oil industry.
“We are collaborating with various stakeholders, including international partners, to fast-track methane capture implementation. This initiative will also support carbon credit incentives, which play a crucial role in establishing a carbon climate system,” Hanif explained.
Meanwhile, President Director of PT Musim Mas, Gunawan Siregar explained that PT Musim Mas has been a pioneer in the implementation of Methane Capture at its palm oil mills. This technology captures methane gas from the Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), which is normally released into the atmosphere during anaerobic digestion. “The captured methane is used as fuel for power generation for mill operations, plantations, and workers’ housing. One Methane Capture facility with a capacity of 1 megawatt can even light up to 1,600 houses in rural areas,” Gunawan Siregar explained.
“To date, Musim Mas has 17 Methane Capture facilities in its mills. By 2023, these facilities will have avoided emissions of 539,225 tons of CO2e, equivalent to the emissions from 117 thousand passenger cars per year,” he concluded.
PT Musim Mas is part of the Musim Mas Group, the world’s largest integrated palm oil company with its main operations in Indonesia. As a company with a strong commitment to sustainability, Musim Mas Group is also making serious efforts to reduce GHG emissions by setting ambitious targets following the guidance of the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), in line with the global aspirations of the Paris Agreement and Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). (P3)
