From Utilizing Green Technology to Maximizing Alternative Energy Usage, Semen Gresik Successfully Minimizes Carbon Emission in Operational Area
Rembang, August 3, 2023 – PT Semen Gresik is committed to conducting corporate activities in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner and in accordance with government regulations. Such commitment is then realized by maintaining proper air quality in the company’s operational area and the adjacent villages, in the regencies of Rembang and Blora.
PT Semen Gresik’s Senior Manager of Communication & CSR Dharma Sunyata stated that at the beginning of its construction, the company’s Rembang factory had been designed to be eco-friendly and the most efficient in Southeast Asia. Various sophisticated technologies in the cement industry have been adopted. One of the aforementioned technologies is the bag filter or fabric filter, which is very effective in filtering dust.
According to Dharma, an assessment by an independent agency certified by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry showed that the air quality in the area adjacent to the cement factory was properly maintained, as the dust level recorded was below the government-enforced standard limit.
“The assessment of air quality was conducted in several locations adjacent to the factory during the first two quarters or the first semester of 2023. The sample of ambient air quality measurement taken in Tegaldowo village, Rembang regency showed that the recorded amount of dust emissions was 19.95 mg/Nm3, out of the limit of 230 mg/Nm3,” Dharma explained.
Additionally, the measurement of dustfall and the ambience of the area of the villages adjacent to the company produced positive results. The measuring process was conducted at 12 locations in 6 villages in the ring-1 area of the company. These results were also below the established limit.
“In measuring emissions and dust generated by the operational activities of the company’s equipment, a tool called CEMS (Continuous Emission Monitoring System) is utilized to monitor, and it is integrated with SISPEK-KLHK (Continuous Industrial Emission Monitoring Information System of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry) so that data can be monitored in real time by the Ministry,” Dharma explained.
During the mine-planning process, PT Semen Gresik consistently refers to mine designs specified in AMDAL (Environmental Impact Analysis). To minimize the social impact resulting from the operational activities of the mine, the company has established a green belt area of 50 meters wide in the mining areas in Rembang, Central Java, the total area of which is 37 hectares.
“This [action] is an embodiment of [the company’s] responsibility to environmental sustainability, and thus far, PT Semen Gresik has reclaimed a 3-hectare clay-mined area and a 5.5-hectare limestone-mined area. [This has been done] by planting 33,610 trees of various types, several of them being teaks, mahoganies, rain trees, sengon, cassia trees, kesambi, breadfruit trees, sapodilla trees, jack trees, mango trees, longan trees, and bamboos,” Dharma said.
Additionally, PT Semen Gresik has also involved 361 farmers from the six adjacent villages to utilize 119.25 hectares of corporate land, which is expected to provide them with economically-added values.
Dharma further added that by utilizing Alternative Fuel & Raw Material (AFR), the company had shifted most of its need for energy from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, which included solar-powered and biomass energy sources.
“There are 30 solar panels or solar-powered generators installed with a capacity of 14.55 kWp (kilowatt peak). Meanwhile, substitutes for heat [source] with [high] Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) that are used in production are rice hulls, corn cobs, packaging materials made of plastics, and leather waste,” Dharma explained.
With various strategic initiatives and innovations in contributions toward environmental conservation, the company has achieved many accomplishments. Several of its accomplishments are Penghargaan Industri Hijau 2022 (Green Industry Award) from the Ministry of Industry, Penghargaan Proper Hijau 2022 (Green Proper Award) from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and Apresiasi Terbaik Good Mining Practice (GMP) 2023 from Dinas ESDM Jawa Tengah (Central Java’s Provincial Office for Energy and Mineral Resources).
