Jakarta. Amid the roar of turbines and the endless swirl of geothermal steam high up in Semende Darat Ulu Village lies a heartwarming story. Here, PT Supreme Energy Rantau Dedap (PT SERD) operates the Rantau Dedap Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP), which has been running since December 26, 2021, with an installed capacity of 91.2 MW (gross). Yet, this achievement is not just about clean energy lighting up thousands of homes --it is also about how the company nurtures harmony with the surrounding nature.

As the holder of a Forest Area Utilization Approval (PPKH), PT SERD’s responsibility goes beyond building a power plant. It carries a concrete commitment to restore forests through watershed (DAS) rehabilitation. On July 22, a milestone was reached: 56.5 hectares of rehabilitated land were officially handed over to the government, out of a total target of 87.46 hectares.

The journey to this achievement began in 2020. Year after year, local tree seedlings were patiently planted. In the first year, 56 hectares of new green space emerged, exceeding the planting target by more than 200 percent. The following year, the area expanded to 87 hectares, with 81 percent of the plants thriving. By the third year, the success rate had risen to 97 percent.

This hard work was not just measured in numbers on paper. The Musi Watershed Management Agency, the Forestry Office, KPH Semendo, and the Directorate of Soil and Water Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry conducted on-site inspections, checking every single tree with the help of accurate geotagging data. The result: 56.5 hectares were declared successfully rehabilitated, with a success rate of 93.98 percent -- a feat that earned praise from field supervisors.

In this area, trees are more than just greenery. They serve as homes and food sources for wildlife such as siamangs, surilis, bears, tapirs, and eagles. For them, PT SERD built five arboreal bridges -- special wildlife crossings linking the rehabilitation site to their natural habitats. Camera traps installed over the past two years brought good news: more and more wildlife have returned to this restored forest.

For South Sumatra, this success is more than just an environmental program. It is a safeguard against erosion, a way to ensure clean water availability, and a means to protect biodiversity. For PT SERD, it is a tangible expression of its vision and mission -- to prove that renewable energy and nature conservation can go hand in hand.

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