So Close Yet so Far - How People in the Vicinity of Potential Sites Respond to Geothermal Energy Power Generation: An Evidence from Indonesia

Presently, Indonesia aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) from 29 to 40% before 2030 by growing the use of renewable energy. One of the sources of renewable energy is geothermal by expanding the development in several locations. This study, therefore, aims to examine the public knowledge, attitude, and perception on the development of Geothermal Energy Power Generation in Mount Lawu, Central of Java. This descriptive and qualitative research showed that most people's understanding of geothermal energy was insignificant. Therefore, the result showed that the majority perception had limited knowledge in geothermal energy. During this research, the local government had not implemented the Mount Lawu geothermal energy generation development. The community and local government are considering the pros and cons of the project, which is the main reason for the project implementation delay. Furthermore, the responses in addressing the geothermal plant project generally fell into three categories: agree, disagree, and doubt. There is some Society's consent that formed based on accepting the positive side of the plant. Furthermore, the initial negative response was due to their poor relationship with the project activities and the absence of prior information. Another factor was their sense of fear and doubt on the positive impacts of the project shortly.