We can get clean energy by tapping the heat of the Earth. But in Indonesia, geothermal plants destroy the land and lives of people who have long lived there.
The Ulumbu Geothermal Power Plant in Wewo village, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, 1 November 2025. (Photo by Garry Lotulung)
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Smoke seeps from cracks in the ground. The strong smell of hydrogen sulfide, like rotten eggs, fills the air. Among the remains of old plantations, residents look out over land difficult to live on.
The village is in Ngada Regency on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, part of the Indonesian archipelago.
The Indonesian government sees Flores as the future of Indonesia’s green energy, referring to it as the “Geothermal Island.” But for the indigenous people living here this project is erasing their way of life.
Some 30 years ago, the first geothermal power plant was built in Mataloko, in the middle of the island, but it failed and operated only briefly.
Remnants of the old plant still remain: a borehole with a fence around it and a “No Trespassing” sign featuring a skull and crossbones.
Geothermal by Garry Lotulung by News Decoder
The dirty side of clean energy
Steam leaks from a borehole that was supposed to be sealed. This steam smells like rotten eggs because of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas. A stream has disappeared, replaced by boiling mud bubbling up from the ground. Nearby fields are empty; nothing grows there.
Rusted corrugated metal covers the houses where people still live. These roofs should last 20 years, but now must be replaced every few months. Residents report skin and breathing problems. Hydrogen sulfide is known to cause rust, irritate the skin and lungs and in high amounts, can even stop someone from breathing.
“The land used to be fertile, the harvest good,” says Augustina Kigo, sitting in front of her hut. “But since the drilling started here, that’s no longer the case.”
An air quality survey in several villages shows that levels of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, which can cause acid rain and harm soil and plants, are much higher than they should be.
Geothermal energy is generally considered a sustainable, environmentally friendly and safe solution for generating electricity. Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a place known for volcanoes, making it particularly well-suited for this type of energy production.
The Ring of Fire. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Gung ho for gigawatts
The government intends to expand the giant plants on this stretch of land to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and advance its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.
Indonesia has an estimated geothermal potential of 23 gigawatts. By comparison, all civilian nuclear reactors worldwide have a combined capacity of 414 gigawatts. Flores plays a key role in Indonesia’s national strategy, as its province accounts for 5% of the country’s geothermal potential.
Sixteen power plants are planned for the island of Flores, which has a population of nearly 2 million. The German development bank, KfW, has provided €200 million in financing for the construction and expansion of geothermal energy in Indonesia, including two plants in Ulumbu and Mataloko, where the first attempt failed. They are being built by the Indonesian state-owned electricity company PLN.
The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources designated Flores a “Geothermal Island” in 2017. Since then, conflicts have erupted in a number of villages.
In Mataloko, hot mudflows from the a geothermal project have contaminated gardens, rice fields and residential areas. The smell of sulfur wafts through the air every morning, damaging the skin and soil.
Such problems reinforce community resistance even as large-scale projects move forward.
Bubbling up of opposition
Decades of experience tells residents that nothing like this happened before the drilling began.
Surya Darma, who heads the Indonesian Center for Renewable Energy Studies, said that while geothermal energy has significant advantages, it is crucial to carefully consider its environmental and social impacts.
Even without geothermal projects, Flores’ geography makes it vulnerable to volcanic activity and seismicity, as it lies on a boundary between shifting tectonic plates in what’s known as the Ring of Fire.
Surya recommended that the government conduct comprehensive geological and environmental risk assessments to identify and address potential adverse effects.
Any geothermal development, he said, should avoid more volatile areas because it increases the risk of earthquakes, particularly through the re-injection of fluids into the Earth’s crust.
“Therefore, thorough geological and environmental assessments are necessary to identify and mitigate risks,” he stated.
Eruptions of discontent
In Lungar village, the Poco Leok volcano rises from the morning mist, three kilometers east of the Ulumbu Geothermal Power Plant, which has been in operation since 2011. Its territory includes 14 hamlets in three villages: Lungar, Mocok and Golo Muntas.
Elisabeth Lahus is one of many local women leading the resistance against the geothermal energy projects and companies. They believe the project threatens their way of life. Their determination connects generations as they continue to defend their community’s future.
“We are never afraid to fight for the future of our children and grandchildren,” she said.
Lahus opposes geothermal development in her village and also works as a coffee and clove farmer. In her traditional language, she says, “Tana hitu ende dami” — the land is our mother. It is the inheritance of our ancestors.
“The damage doesn’t just happen where the drill is,” she said. “It can affect even places 500 meters away. There’s smoke. The sound of bubbling, boiling water fills the area.”
The 60 targeted drilling sites are spread across these villages where people grow coffee, candlenuts, chocolate, sweet potatoes, corn and other crops. And they tell the same story: the plant’s expansion is being carried out at breakneck speed, without locals being properly informed.
The Catholic Church wades in.
In January 2025, the Catholic Church on Flores Island, led by Bishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, the new Archbishop of Ende, formally rejected the project. This stance was soon supported by all bishops across Flores. The church’s opposition encouraged resistance throughout Flores’ predominantly Catholic population, sparking local protests and traditional rejection rituals.
Disregard for community concerns, which violates the UN principle requiring free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous peoples, has intensified opposition even further, said Father Felix Baghi, SVD, who has supported the community and protests in Mataloko.
“Here, the authorities have not conducted any outreach to the community, but instead have taken the most important figures from the Indigenous community and forced them to agree to this project,” Baghi said.
In Ngada Regency, farmers and villagers report damage to farmland from mudflows caused by a failed geothermal project. In Poco Leok, Manggarai, plans for geothermal expansion have divided the community into supporters and opponents.
Kleden said that the Church decided to reject geothermal exploration and exploitation projects on Flores Island after hearing firsthand testimony from affected communities.
“Geothermal energy can be a very good thing, as has been demonstrated elsewhere. But it is not an option for Flores,” Kleden said.
Developing on shaky ground
The topography of Flores is steep and disaster-prone, he said. Industrial-scale drilling in upstream areas could trigger landslides and damage the forest ecosystem.
Flores has limited agricultural land essential for subsistence. Drilling requires water sourced from areas vital for rice cultivation, Kleden said. That threatens a culture and identity tied to the land and agriculture. Given these circumstances, more than 80% of Flores residents who rely on farming will be affected, risking loss of jobs, income and agricultural culture.
About 150 kilometers west of Mataloko, the Ulumbu geothermal power plant is set to expand from 10 to 40 megawatts with support from the German Development Bank. This expansion requires new drilling. Kleden has urged the bank to halt further geothermal development.
In response to an inquiry, the German bank KfW said in a statement that it had suspended financing for the planned infrastructure projects in Ulumbu and Mataloko and that the PLN has committed to KfW to comply with international environmental and social standards.
It also said that it has recommended that the developer better inform and seek consent from the local population. These will take time, the bank said.
The people of Mataloko and Poco Leok continue to demonstrate opposition. WALHI, an environmental advocacy group, urged all local governments and communities in East Nusa Tenggara to oppose the policy to develop geothermal projects.
The future of the Indigenous communities of Poco Leok and Mataloko remains uncertain. Instead of bringing prosperity, the promise of clean energy has brought their ways of life to a standstill. The compensation offered does not match the loss of their traditional lands, clean and plentiful water or lush coffee crops.
When mediation ends without agreement and opposition is ignored, local residents must cope with social trauma and the constant risk of environmental harm. In the end, the geothermal project in Flores is not just about energy transition.
It is a sad irony that Indigenous communities pay the price so other cities can have electricity, while their own homes grow darker and their way of life is at risk.
Questions to consider:
1. Why are many people worried about the development of geothermal plants on Flores Island?
2. What are some of the things that the Indigenous people who live on Flores are demanding?
3. How do you think we can balance the need for clean energy with the problems that come from getting it?
Garry Lotulung is a freelance photojournalist and documentary photographer based in Jakarta. Lotulung has specialized in stories about the human condition, social change and environmental crises. Lotulung joined the international news agency Anadolu Agency in 2022 and has been a regular contributor and stringer since.