Farmers in Karang Raja Village, Muara Enim, continue to work in the rice fields despite the extended dry season. The rice fields remain wet and green.All of this is possible because of the Solar Power Plant that PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) built to irrigate agricultural land in Karang Raja Village. This solar irrigation system has been operating since February 2023.
According to Bakhtiar, Head of the Raja Makmur Farmers Group, before the solar irrigation, farmers in Karang Raja Village were unable to work on their rice fields during the dry season because they relied on rain.
“We planted Ciherang rice. We could only harvest once a year previously because we relied on rains, but now we are able to harvest 2-3 times. The solar plant powers two irrigation pump units to take river water and distribute it to the rice fields and we can plant crops regardless of the season," said Bakhtiar.
The irrigated land area is approximately 35 hectares (ha) and 121 farmers have benefited from the Karang Raja Village solar Irrigation.
The solar irrigation in Karang Raja Village consists of 76 modules, each with a capacity of 500 Wattpeak (Wp); the total solar power plant capacity reaches 38 Kilowatt peak (kWp).
Meanwhile, PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) VP Sustainability Hartono explained that the solar irrigation program aims to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point 7 (ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) and point 8 (creating decent jobs and encouraging economic growth).
"The construction of solar irrigation is PTBA's effort to encourage the use of renewable energy, empower communities, while preserving the environment, in line with PTBA's Noble Purpose as a member of the MIND ID Group: for civilization, prosperity and a brighter future,” said Hartono.
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). The six solar irrigation has a total capacity of 192 kWp.
