South Sumatran Mill Develops Paddy Waste Biomass plant
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A rice mill in South Sumatra built a biomass power plant that uses rice husk. Tens of billions of rupiah have been spent to produce 3 megawatts of electricity per hour.
OGAN ILIR, KOMPAS — A biomass power plant that uses rice husk will soon be operational in South Sumatra. It is projected that the plant, which belongs to PT Buyung Poetra Sembada, can generate 3 megawatts of electricity per hour (Mwh). The chosen fuel is rice husk, which is abundantly found at the mill.
“So far, the rice husk has only been discarded and not utilized. That is why we are trying to develop a biomass power plant from paddy waste,” PT BPS biomass power plant manager Solihin said on Wednesday (4/24/2019), during the visit of a team from the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister in Ogan Ilir regency, South Sumatra.
PT BPS conducted an earlier comparative study in India, which has long applied this technology. Construction on the power plant began in April 2018 with funding of around Rp 60 billion.
The power plant is 95 percent complete, and is awaiting an operational permit from the South Sumatra provincial administration. “We are targeting the third quarter of 2019 for the paddy waste power plant to start operation,” said Solihin.
The power plant is fueled by utilizing the paddy waste from the rice mill. The paddy waste is placed into a boiler where it is burned to heat water to produce steam, which powers a steam turbine. Finally, the turbine runs a generator to produce electricity.
The rice mill produces around 600 tons of paddy waste every day, of which around 100 tons are used to fuel generators and dryers.
Solihin said that the plan was to use 2.5 MW of the generated electricity to operate the mill and the remainder for other needs. “So far, the electricity has been used for the mill,” he said.
If the project ran well, Solihin said, it was not impossible to develop it further, including selling the electricity to state-owned electricity company PLN. For now, regulatory issues still remained before the technology could be used.
Ogan Ilir regency secretary Herman welcomed the development of the biomass power plant, which could reduce waste that could potentially have a negative impact on the environment. The biomass power plant would also help improve the local economy. The regency was currently studying how to implement the technology, including learning from South Korea and Japan.
Ogan Ilir regency is one of the rice production centers in South Sumatra and produces large quantities of paddy waste.
Duplication
Earlier, Amalyos, the assistant deputy of mineral, energy and non-conventional resources at the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister, said he welcomed the biomass power plant development, which was in line with the government program to encourage the development of new renewable energy (EBT) infrastructure.
Several areas have been mapped for the potential development of EBT, including paddy waste-fueled biomass power plants, a technology that could also be applied in West Java and South Sulawesi.
Only 9 percent has been attained of the 23 percent renewable energy mix targeted for 2025. The 2025 renewable energy mix target is expected to contribute 45.1 gigawatts to the national energy output.
South Sulawesi’s Sidrap Deputy Regent Mahmoud Yusuf, who has visited the PT BPS mill, said on Tuesday that Sidrap was interested in developing its own biomass power plant. Sidrap had 300 rice mills, of which 126 were large mills.
The regency produced 133,000 tons of paddy waste per year, a much greater volume than Ogan Ilir, and could thus develop a biomass power plant with a 9 Mwh output capacity. (RAM)