Feasibility Study of Sugarcane Bagasse Co-Firing in Paiton Coal Power Plant

Indonesia's dependence on coal as its main energy source gives rise to various environmental problems, such as high greenhouse gas emissions and threats to national energy sustainability. One potential solution is the utilization of biomass, such as bagasse, through co-firing technology in PLTU. This study uses an experimental and comparative quantitative approach to analyze the calorific value, combustion efficiency, operational costs, and environmental impacts of the use of bagasse in Paiton PLTU. The results show that bagasse with a calorific value of 2,305 kcal/kg can be used up to a mixing ratio of 30% without significantly reducing efficiency. The use of bagasse can reduce operational costs by up to 50% compared to the use of pure coal, and significantly reduce CO₂, NOₓ, and SOₓ emissions. This study concludes that bagasse co-firing at the Paiton PLTU offers substantial economic and environmental benefits. An optimum ratio of 20% bagasse and 80% coal is recommended. This supports the transition to clean energy and more sustainable utilization of sugar industry waste.