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View all search resultsActivists call for better geothermal safety after fatal accident
A gas leak at a geothermal power plant in Dieng, Central Java, killed one and injured five on Saturday.
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The Dieng geothermal power plant in Central Java is shown in this undated photo. (Tempo/Aris Andrianto)
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ctivists are urging regulators to better enforce workplace safety practices at geothermal power plants after a hydrogen sulfide leak at a plant in Dieng, Central Java, killed and injured employees on Saturday.
State-owned geothermal company PT Geo Dipa Energi (GDE), which operates the plant, said the gas leaked while employees were checking a relief valve in preparation for drilling on well pad number 28.
“One person was killed and five others are in intensive care at the Wonosobo Hospital after the incident. Geo Dipa management and staff express our deepest condolences for the accident. Geo Dipa will also be responsible for all the victims,” said GDE corporate secretary Endang Iswandini.
The company said the process was carried out according to the appropriate standard operating procedures, and all victims were employees working at the site, not residents, as the hydrogen sulfide gas did not escape the location.
“The cause will be determined by an investigation led by the [Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry] renewables inspector. Initial information shows that the cause was equipment malfunction,” she told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Read also: Indonesia to form ‘world’s largest’ geothermal holding firm
This is not the first time the Dieng geothermal unit has sprung a leak, according to local watchdogs. On June 30, 2007, an explosion at the unit 9 water pipe caused at least 14 employees to suffer serious injuries. Meanwhile, on June 13, 2016, an explosion at well pad 30 caused serious burn injuries to six employees.
