Beyond-Compliance Environmental Strategies in Coal-Fired Power Plants: A Systematic Review and Integrative Framework

Totok Widianto; Arief Rachmansyah; Dini Atikawati; Rochman Hidayat; Rinda Lolita Melanwati

doi:10.33394/j-ps.v14i4.21383

Authors

Totok Widianto Universitas Brawijaya
Arief Rachmansyah Universitas Brawijaya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7036-6735
Dini Atikawati Universitas Brawijaya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1852-3358
Rochman Hidayat PT Paiton Operation & Maintenance Indonesia
Rinda Lolita Melanwati Universitas Brawijaya https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7216-2271

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33394/j-ps.v14i4.21383

Keywords:

Beyond-compliance environmental approaches, Coal-fired power plant, Environmental performance, Environmental management, Sustainability

Abstract

Coal-fired power plants face increasing pressure to improve environmental performance beyond minimum regulatory requirements. However, evidence concerning technological, managerial, social, and institutional strategies remains fragmented, limiting the development of integrated environmental management approaches. This study systematically synthesizes existing evidence on beyond-compliance environmental strategies and proposes an integrative conceptual framework for coal-fired power generation. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 20 peer-reviewed studies published between January 2016 and June 2026 were selected through Scopus searching and backward reference tracking. Thematic synthesis identified four interrelated strategic dimensions: technological environmental innovation, environmental management practices, social sustainability initiatives, and external environmental drivers. Technological innovation, including emission reduction and energy-efficiency improvements, received the strongest direct support from coal-fired power studies, whereas managerial and social dimensions relied more extensively on evidence from broader organizational contexts. Drawing on the Natural-Resource-Based View and Institutional Theory, the proposed framework conceptualizes how internal environmental capabilities interact with external institutional pressures to support proactive environmental management. The framework also offers a potential analytical basis for understanding beyond-compliance practices within Indonesia’s PROPER environmental rating system. However, the limited direct sector-specific evidence, heterogeneous study designs, and absence of formal methodological quality appraisal constrain the strength of the conclusions. These findings provide a multidimensional perspective on environmental performance improvement and establish a conceptual foundation for future empirical validation in coal-fired power plants.

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