Pangalengan

Pangalengan
Map
CountryIndonesia
ProvinceWest Java
RegencyBandung
Area
 • Total195.41 km2 (75.45 sq mi)
Population
 • Total154,286
 • Density790/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+7 (IWST)

Pangalengan is a district (Kecamatan) in the Bandung Regency, Indonesia. It is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) south of the major West Java city of Bandung.

Main industries of the Pangalengan district include dairy farming and tourism, the latter arising from the popularity of the many traditional villages and natural attractions such as lakes, ponds, hot springs and waterfalls in the district. The area is an important centre of activity for the tea industry in Indonesia.[1] There is also considerable interest in the potential for the use of geothermal sites in the region for the production of electricity. The Wayang Windu plant, the largest geothermal plant in Indonesia with a capacity of 227 megawatts, is located to the east of Pangalengan on the slopes of the Wayang Windu volcano. The site has been jointly developed by Star Energy[2] and PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, a subsidiary of the large state-owned oil company Pertamina.[3] The activity has not been without controversy however and local people near the site have sometimes protested about certain aspects of the development.[4]

Pangalengan became a major site for the placement of refugees (internally displaced persons, or IDPs) after the large West Java earthquake in September 2009. Following the earthquake, it was estimated that 50,000 homes had been destroyed in the area, 80,000 people had been left homeless, and around 250,000 people had been displaced.[5]

  1. ^ "tea industry in Indonesia". Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  2. ^ "About Us | Star Energy". July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21.
  3. ^ Reva Sasistiya, "Star Energy to Push PLN for Big Hike in Price of Geothermal Energy" Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, The Jakarta Globe, 15 September 2009.
  4. ^ Yuli Tri Suwarni, "Villagers want geothermal power plant suspended Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine", The Jakarta Post, 31 October 2009.
  5. ^ Wendy Bruere, "The Quake Indonesia Forgot" Archived 2012-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Jakarta Globe, 1 December 2009.