The Dieng Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) within the Narrative of Sustainable Development: A Phenomenological Study in Pawuhan Hamlet, Indonesia

Ainiyatul Febri Mahiyah; Asihing Kustanti; Setiyo Yuli Handono

doi:10.38142/ijesss.v7i5.2121

Authors

Ainiyatul Febri Mahiyah Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
Asihing Kustanti Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
Setiyo Yuli Handono Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38142/ijesss.v7i5.2121

Keywords:

Community Experience, Geothermal Power Plant, Sustainable Development, Clean Energy

Abstract

The transition toward renewable energy is frequently framed as a pathway to achieving sustainable development and reducing carbon emissions. However, renewable energy projects may generate complex social, economic, and environmental consequences for communities living around energy infrastructure. This study examines how local communities experience the sustainability implications of the Dieng Geothermal Power Plant and explores the interaction between these experiences and the Sustainable Development Goals. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the research was conducted in Pawuhan, Banjarnegara, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation involving local residents with diverse social and economic backgrounds. Thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns in community experiences across social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The findings reveal that the Dieng Geothermal Power Plant creates economic opportunities through employment, supporting businesses, and increasing land values, although these benefits are unevenly distributed. At the same time, communities experience declining trust, limited participation, perceived environmental risks, and rising adaptation costs related to water, agriculture, and household conditions. The study concludes that geothermal development cannot be evaluated solely through its contribution to clean-energy provision. A sustainable energy transition requires equitable benefit distribution, meaningful community participation, and environmental governance that recognizes local experiences and vulnerabilities. These findings challenge the assumption of an automatic correspondence between renewable energy and sustainable development and demonstrate that an energy transition undertaken as part of sustainable development can also generate new forms of socioeconomic inequality and environmental injustice.

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