Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Surabaya – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) has urged the Surabaya administration in East Java to shut down the Benowo Waste-to-Energy Power Plant, accusing the facility of contributing significantly to the "alarming" levels of air pollution across the city.
Lucky Wahyu Wardhana, Campaign Manager for WALHI's East Java branch, said air quality monitoring conducted within a three-kilometer radius of the Benowo power plant between November 2024 and January, recorded an average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at 26.78 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m), with peak levels exceeding 100 g/m.
"These figures are nearly double the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 15 g/m and exceed Indonesia's national air quality standard of 55 g/m," he recently told The Jakarta Post.
PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter. Due to their microscopic size, these particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, posing serious health risks.
Lucky warned that prolonged exposure to elevated PM2.5 levels can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and even premature death. He noted that between January and July 2023, the Surabaya Health Agency recorded over 174,000 cases of acute respiratory infections (ISPA) in the city, including more than 6,000 cases among infants.
"The Benowo waste-to-energy power plant is not a solution, it is a source of pollution. The government should protect its citizens, not legitimize harmful and dirty technologies," he said.
The Benowo waste-to-energy power plant was inaugurated in 2015 at the Benowo landfill in Pakal District. The landfill receives approximately 1,600 to 1,700 tons of waste daily, accounting for around 60 to 70 percent of Surabaya's total waste.
The facility initially generated electricity by extracting methane gas from the waste mounds, with a capacity of 1.65 megawatts. In 2021, the city expanded the plant by adding a gasification system that incinerates waste at high temperatures to produce electricity, increasing the capacity by 9 MW.
About 1,000 tons of waste at the Benowo landfill are processed through the incinerators, while the remaining waste is used for methane gas extraction.
Currently, the power plant is operated by the private company PT Sumber Organik under a 20-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement with the Surabaya administration.
WALHI's Lucky stated that the Surabaya administration has never made the power plant's Environmental Impact Assessment (AMDAL) results publicly accessible, with officials citing patent protection as the reason.
"Denying access to AMDAL documents infringes on constitutional rights. It violates the 2008 Public Information Transparency Law and the 2009 Environmental Protection and Management Law," he said.
Lucky has urged the Surabaya administration to permanently close the Benowo waste-to-energy power plant and instead focus on implementing a community-based zero-waste system.
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi has pledged to investigate the air quality produced by the Benowo plant and determine whether it meets the required standards.
He also promised to hold PT Sumber Organik accountable, demanding the company address the issues and imposing sanctions if they fail to improve air quality.
In March, the state-owned electricity company PLN praised the Benowo waste-to-energy plant's performance, stating that since its launch, the facility has produced 166.1 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean energy for Surabaya residents.
"Benowo stands as a prime example of successful collaboration between PLN and the Surabaya city administration in promoting environmentally friendly technology," said Ahmad Mustaqir, General Manager of PLN's East Java Distribution Unit.
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, also praised the facility, stressing the importance of replicating such initiatives in other cities across Indonesia, particularly those struggling with growing waste management issues.