M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to establish waste-to-energy plants (PSEL) this year. Intan Salsabila Firman, a researcher from Tenggara Strategic, said the government must disseminate the safety of PSEL to the public, ensuring that if done right, the facilities will have no negative impacts on the surrounding environments.
"Whether from the gases or ashes," she said during a press conference at the CSIS office on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
According to Tenggara Strategic's analysis, the existence of PSEL is vital in reducing the daily waste generation in urban or rural areas. The facilities are projected to handle and process 1,000 tons of waste per day.
This option aims to reduce waste disposal in open dumping landfills, since excessive waste poses several risks, from health, environment, to landslide threats. Such incidents were observed in the Bantargebang and Leuwigajah landfills, which exploded on February 21, 2005.
"To remind all of us that the issue of waste is tangible and requires concrete and sustainable solutions," expressed Intan Salsabila.
Waste-to-energy plants in Indonesia currently exist only in Benowo, Surabaya, and Putri Cempo, Surakarta. But these ex-President Jokowi-era facilities are not yet effective in waste reduction or anticipating the environmental pollution impact.
Meanwhile, Prabowo's administration has issued Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 109 of 2025 was issued to implement the PSEL project that is expected to generate around 20 megawatts of electricity per facility with a tariff of US$0.20 per kWh, which must be purchased by PT PLN (Persero).
"We propose a number of recommendations to support the implementation of PSEL," stated Intan.
First, acquiring technologies that adapt to the waste characteristics in Indonesia, for which the government is urged to look at countries like China, which have implemented PSEL in larger quantities than Indonesia.
Intan also advised for waste sorting to optimize the efficiency of PSEL and anticipate odor issues during transport. Additionally, regular monitoring and review of the project is advised. "The regulation calls for annual report on waste processing," she said.
Lastly, dissemination of information and public consultation must be conducted to inform the public how the foreign-acquired technologies operate. Especially since PSEL involves incineration with the risk of emissions and unpleasant odors.
The PSEL project will be carried out through Danantara as the investment manager. The first phase of construction will be implemented in the agglomeration areas of Bogor City and Bogor Regency, Bekasi City and Bekasi Regency, Yogyakarta, and Denpasar.