In 2013, S2P was officially granted a loan from China Development Bank to expand the current power plant with an additional 660MW unit. The terms of the loan included a requirement to use technology produced in  China at the facility [2]. As the third unit was finished in 2016, PT S2P started the second phase of the expansion including a fourth unit with a capacity of 1000MW [3]. This fourth unit is expected to commence commercial operations in 2020 [4].

 Residents of the surrounding villages have since the plant was put into use suffered severe adverse impacts. Due to soil excavation and drilling in connection to the construction of the plant, the water table has been depleted and villagers find it increasingly difficult to access clean drinking water, especially since many wells have dried out. Families have been forced to divert money from other important uses – such as education for their children – in order to afford to drill deeper for water [5]. Further, air pollution and ash rains caused health impacts such as skin rashes, bronchitis, coughs, and other respiratory diseases [5] [6] [7]. The dust pollution worsens during the dry season, but throughout the year villagers are forced to sweep and clean their houses and terraces several times a day. In addition, the noise from the facility – which operates 24 hours a day – impacts the daily life in the surrounding communities [5].

 Before, local residents used to support their livelihoods mainly through farming and fishing. Since the construction of the power plant, however, these activities have become increasingly difficult to pursue. The coast is now more complicated to access, and widespread water pollution has effects on catches. Further, large acreages of productive agricultural land have been acquisitioned by the company and it is on this land the power station now stands [5] [6]. In the adjacent Winong village, the total amount of viable agricultural land has decreased by as much as 75% [5].

 Mobilization has been seen in the form of rallies and protests in villages affected by the operations of the plant. Posters have also been put up at the Cilacap Regent’s office, showing the locals’ discontent. A group of residents supported by Walhi Central Java and LBH Yogakarta met with the Cilacap Regent to voice their complaints. The communities also claim public consultation to have been inadequate throughout the process, which would constitute a violation of national law [5]. In 2018, in response to the claims made by citizens and supporting organizations, the Cilacap Regent promised to conduct an investigation of the circumstances around the construction and operation of the plant, as well as an evaluation of the company practices [5] [6].  However, the results of the investigation were never made public, and the evaluation was not conducted [6] [8]. In August 2019, people marched outside PT S2P’s office, and in September the same year, hundreds of people gathered outside the district environment agency’s office to demand sanctions to the company [6] [9]. In spite of this, the plant is in operation and its expansion is still underway.

 There is also the issue of climate change. [11]. It is reported that while much of Indonesia’s emissions to date have come from deforestation and land use change, particularly the burning of carbon-rich peatlands to make way for plantations of oil palm, pulpwood, and rubber, now elecricity generation will be another important factor.  The government is relying mostly on coal-fired plants to feed that demand. In 2018, coal accounted for 60 percent of Indonesia’s energy mix.

 Thirty-nine coal-fired power plants are currently  (2019) under construction, and 68 havebeen announced, which will maintain coal’s dominance of the energy mix at nearly 55 percent by 2025.  Of six new power plants expected to go online this year 2019, three are fired by coal. (The other three are small-capacity facilities powered by natural gas, hydro and solar, respectively.) {11]

Capacity: 2 x 300MW

Investment: 510 000 000 USD [1]

Construction finished: 2006

UNIT 3

Capacity: 600 MW

Investment: 700 000 000 USD [2]

Construction finished: 2016

UNIT 4

Capacity: 1000 MW

Investment: 1,400,000,000 [10]

Construction finished: Expected to commence operations in 2020