Pangalengan sunrise - stock photo

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. 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 and PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, a subsidiary of the large state-owned oil company Pertamina. The activity has not been without controversy however and local people near the site have sometimes protested about certain aspects of the development.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.