Abstract. Rural electrification using renewable energy is the best choice for many locations that
far away from national grid. Many renewable energy project have been built for rural
electrification such as micro hydro power plant (MHPP) and solar photovoltaic (SPV).
Sustainability still the main challenge of off-grid renewable energy development for off-grid
rural electrification in Indonesia. The objective of this paper is to review sustainability of micro
hydro power development in Indonesia. The research method was done by field observation,
interview with MHPP management, and reviewing some research about MHPP in Indonesia.
Sustainability issues include various aspects that can be classified into 5 dimensions: technical,
economic, socio-cultural, institutional, and environmental. In technical factors that lead to
sustainability problem are: improper MHPP design and construction, improper operation and
maintenance, availability of spare parts and expertise. In the economic dimension are generally
related to: low electricity tariff and utilization of MHPP for productive use. In the social
dimension are: the growth of consumer’s load exceeding the capacity, reduced number of
consumers, lack of external institutional support. In the institutional side, it is generally related
to the ability of human resources in managing, operating and maintaining of MHPP.
Environmental factors that lead the sustainability problems of MHPP are: scarcity of water
discharge, conflict of water resources, land conversion over the watershed, and natural disasters