The push comes as Indonesia grapples with a waste management crisis. — The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA: The government has set a two-year deadline to clear the massive Bantargebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java, leveraging the accelerated waste-to-energy programme.
Waste-to-energy technology processes refuse into electrical or thermal energy, mostly through incineration, significantly reducing its volume.
The push comes as Indonesia grapples with a waste management crisis.
In 2023, the volume of waste generated nationwide hit 56.63 million tonnes, and around 61% of that was still handled through open dumping.
“So, God willing, Bantargebang will be gone in two years, and Bandung, and everywhere else, will be gone in two years,” Coordinating Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan said in Jakarta on Tuesday, as reported by news agency Antara.
The process of converting waste into energy is stipulated in Presidential Regulation No 109/2025 on urban waste management using “environmentally friendly” technology.
Zulkifli noted that only three waste-to-energy projects had been launched in the past 11 years, with the slow adoption of the technology blamed on complicated licencing requirements.
The new presidential regulation reduces the lengthy licencing process, making the waste-to-energy sector more attractive for investors and minimising project risks, according to Zulkifli.
Local governments now only needed to prepare the land, while permits were submitted to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, he added.
State asset fund Danantara will then determine the most suitable technology and ultimately reach an agreement with state-owned power distributor PLN.
Zulkifli went on to say that seven waste-to-energy projects had been discussed.
He targets the completion of 34 of such projects within the next two years.
“We already have seven. We’ll probably complete 20 projects.
“The target is 34 in two years, from implementation to completion,” he said, as reported by Antara.
Danantara launched its first tenders for waste-to-energy projects on Nov 6.
The first phase will cover seven facilities in the following localities: Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bali, as well as Bandung and Bekasi in West Java, Tangerang in Banten and Semarang in Central Java.
The projects, part of a broader plan to build 33 plants nationwide worth a combined 91 trillion rupiah, are included in PLN’s electricity business plan as renewables and will be developed through joint ventures between Danantara and selected private investors.
The state fund plans to hold at least 30% ownership in each project, potentially raising it to a majority stake of 51%, according to Danantara chief investment officer Pandu Sjahrir.
Danantara expected about 30% of the investment to come from equity and 70% from debt, in line with typical project financing structures, Pandu noted.
Furthermore, waste-to-energy projects have drawn criticism from environmental watchdogs.
Daru Setyorini, executive director of the Institute for Ecological Observation and Wetland Conservations, said waste-to-energy was a “false solution” that failed to address the roots of Indonesia’s waste crisis.
She went on to say that effective waste management required waste segregation, not incineration. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
