Residents oppose Mount Ungaran geothermal project as Central Java lawmakers seek answers

A planned geothermal project at Mount Ungaran has drawn opposition from local residents, prompting Central Java lawmakers to seek a detailed explanation from the national government.

Nur Saadah, head of Commission D at the Central Java provincial legislature, said the commission would meet the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to discuss the project in the Mount Ungaran geothermal working area. She said the move followed reports of public opposition, although the legislature had not formally received a protest report.

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I received a report that there was some kind of public opposition.

The Energy and Mineral Resources minister assigned geothermal development in the area to state electricity company PT PLN in March 2026. The plan has only recently become a focus of public objections, according to Nur.

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In the near future, we will visit the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. We will ask for an explanation about the national strategic program at Mount Ungaran.

The commission plans to travel to Jakarta on Sept. 8. It intends to ask about the project’s benefits, how it would be carried out and the issues residents consider dangerous. Nur said the information would then be shared with the public.

She acknowledged that the government is seeking to expand renewable energy, but said that effort should include public outreach and education. “The central government, through the agencies assigned to the regions, can provide understanding to the public so that there is no unrest,” Nur said.

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The central government, through the agencies assigned to the regions, can provide understanding to the public so that there is no unrest.