PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) built a solar power plant in 2023 to power irrigation pumps in Karang Raja Village, Muara Enim District, Muara Enim Regency, which had increased agricultural output. On Friday, January 5, 2024, Karang Raja Village in Muara Enim, South Sumatra, harvested a healthy crop of rice.Karang Raja Village was able to harvest up to three times during 2023 because of PTBA's solar irrigation. During its third planting season, which spanned from September 2023 to January 2024, Karang Raja Village produced 5.5 tonnes of rice, while Muara Enim area was undergoing a drought at the time.
Husni Thamrin, Acting Head of Muara Enim Subdistrict, discussed the advantages of solar irrigation, which has been implemented at many locations around Muara Enim Regency.
"Water is a very crucial need for farmers. We hope the solar irrigation will benefit neighboring villages as well, allowing them to harvest at the same time," said Husni.
By the end of 2023, Karang Raja Village was able to complete three planting seasons and produced 14.9 tons of rice thanks to the solar irrigation.
Aside from solar irrigation, Karang Raja Village producers did not utilize chemical fertilizers, resulting in high-quality organic rice.
According to AVP Sustainable Economic Social and Environment PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA), Mustafa Kamal, Bukit Asam is currently building several other solar irrigation systems in Muara Enim as a manifestation of Bukit Asam's commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture.
"We will continue building other solar plants in order to support sustainable practices and ensure that future generations can benefit. The community can experience the benefits of solar plants in crop irrigation operations, overcoming challenges frequently faced by farmers, especially in areas with limited water resources,” he said.
Not only in Karang Raja Village, PTBA has built solar irrigation in five other locations, including Talawi Mudik (Sawahlunto, West Sumatra), Trimulyo (Pesawaran, Lampung), Tanjung Raja (Muara Enim, South Sumatra), Nanjungan (Lahat, South Sumatra), and Rejosari Mataram (Central Lampung, Lampung). These six solar irrigation systems have a combined installed capacity of 192 kWp.
