PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Bumitama Gunajaya Agro (BGA) Group, operating under the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) scheme, has been actively promoting the processing of biomass waste into biogas. This initiative has been in progress since 2016.
Apart from its traditional uses as food and energy material, palm oil products hold significant potential to generate environmentally-friendly electricity through the establishment of biogas power plants.
To support environmental electricity and sustainable palm oil industries, BGA Group in 2016 initiated to cooperate with PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) through BOT scheme with some waste process technology servers and integrated powerplant servers.
Mill System and Continuous Improvement Department Head BGA Group, Rieza Rakhman said, the basic reason to cooperate is that BGA Group has solution to realize sustainable palm oil policy by reducing green-house gas (GHG) emission and minimizing waste process costs.
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“Through Build Operate Transfer (BOT) scheme, BGA Group developed methane capture from palm oil mill effluent (POME),” he recently said to Palmoilmagazine.com.
The liquid waste industry is in District of Rokan Hulu, Riau Province. It is Biogas Plant Ujung Batu, has 3 x 1 megawatt (MW) capacity and potentially fulfills electricity needs for about 6.000 houses. “The cooperation is with PT PLN (Persero) Unit Induk Distribusi Riau and Kepulauan Riau through PT Pasadena Biofuels Mandiri to advantage electricity,” Rieza said.
To supply Biogas Powerplant Ujung Batu, the materials are from palm oil mill within 90 tons of fresh fruit bunch (FFB)/hour capacity that applies conventional technologies (biogas through covered lagoon) and feed stock (supply) from liquid waste that could produce about 2,4 – 3 MW electricity.
Rieza also told for all these years, BGA Group uses PalmGHG calculator that Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) introduced to monitor GHG emission for years.
The company also applies the same method in every operational area without differentiating certification status. From the total GHG emission in 2022, all mills produced 1,41metric tons/CO2e/MT of CPO.
The investment spent about US$ 4 – 6 million to construct 3 x 1 MW – biogas plant. Rieza said, the investment is efficient compared to power plant with fossil fuel. It is also environmental. (T2)
