This is the condition of one of three biomass power plants (PLTBm) in Madobag Village, South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands Regency, West Sumatra.

You can see that the power plant in Madobag Village is currently only the ruins of the building due to being looted by a number of residents after it stopped operating.

The plant, whose construction was funded by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), began operating in 2018. The community really hopes that its existence will ensure an even supply of electricity.

Moreover, the existence of this generator really supports efforts to develop green energy in the future. However, unfortunately, the plant, which cost Rp. 14 billion to build, could only continue operating until November 2021 due to insufficient raw material supply.

The insufficient supply of bamboo, which is the main source of fuel for the plant, means that managers have to switch to using softwood that grows on the island, which results in the resulting electricity supply not being optimal.

This condition is also made worse by the very small amount of electric power absorption. Of the 300 kilowatt-hour (KWh) capacity produced at the PLTBm in Madobag Village, only 28 KWh is absorbed by the community.

Similar conditions also occurred at the power plant in Saliguma Village, Central Siberut District. Of the maximum power of 250 KWh, only 22 to 24 KWh can be absorbed.

Currently, only the building frame remains, while a number of components and building materials that were previously installed have been lost due to theft.