PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk (PGE) (IDX: PGEO) Kamojang Area won the Winner of the ASEAN Renewable Energy Project Awards in the Off-Grid Thermal category for its Geothermal Organic Fertilizer (GeO-Fert) innovation. This prestigious award was received at an event held by the Malaysian Ministry of Power and Water Transformation (PETRA) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on Thursday (10/16). This achievement underscores PGE Kamojang Area's commitment to providing renewable energy solutions that not only generate green electricity but also empower local communities.
PGE Kamojang Area General Manager, I Made Budi Kusuma Adi Putra, stated,
"We believe that geothermal energy is more than just a source of electricity. Through innovations like GeO-Fert, PGE Kamojang Area demonstrates how geothermal energy can help local communities, support sustainable agriculture, and preserve the environment."
GeO-Fert is an innovation that processes organic waste into organic fertilizer by utilizing geothermal steam at a temperature of 60–70°C from the Kamojang Geothermal Power Plant. Agricultural and household waste is processed into solid and liquid organic fertilizer more efficiently, quickly, and environmentally friendly. This innovation also helps reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, which can degrade soil and environmental quality.
Since its development, GeO-Fert has processed 57.6 tons of organic waste annually into 28.8 tons of solid and liquid organic fertilizer. The drying process, which previously took more than two days, can now be reduced to 12 hours, increasing efficiency by 70–75% compared to conventional methods. This program has also successfully reduced carbon emissions by 24,783 tons of CO2 equivalent per year and avoided fossil fuel use by 0.085 ktoe per year.
Currently, GeO-Fert is managed by 51 farmers as active managers of the Cikondang Block Forest Farmers Group and 32 members of the Mekarsari Women's Farmers Group (KWT), with a total of 163 direct beneficiaries and 653 indirect beneficiaries. Through ongoing training, farmers are now able to produce their own fertilizer, reducing fertilizer purchasing costs by up to IDR 26 million per year, and increasing yields of various commodities such as leeks, potatoes, cabbage, coffee, and long beans by 50–75%.
With a geothermal power plant capacity of 235 MW, the Kamojang region is known as one of West Java's agricultural powerhouses, where approximately 85% of the population relies on the agricultural sector. The challenges of limited access to subsidized fertilizer and the high price of chemical fertilizers can now be addressed with the introduction of GeO-Fert, demonstrating the true synergy between clean energy and sustainable food security.
