The Indonesian government is looking to build waste-to-Energy plants in four cities – Jakarta, Surabaya, Bekasi and Solo – this year as an effort to solve the country’s plastic waste crisis. This is in line with the regulation issued in April last year that encourages local governments to set up “eco-friendly” waste-to-Energy plants.
According to ta statement from the Ministry of Energy, 12 waste-to-Energy power plants were due to operate by 2022 and would generate up to 234 megawatts of electricity from 16,000 tons of waste a day. However, concerns have been raised over the possibility of improper Environmental impact assessment. Moreover, incineration is viewed as a shortcut solution by green activists due to the gaseous emissions from waste-to-Energy plants and emission of toxic chemicals such as dioxins, mercury and micro particles..
The developer of potentially the first waste-to-Energy plant in Jakarta has pledged to comply with European Union-level emission control standards, which are stricter than local standards. Indonesia only mandates dioxin tests to be performed every five years as it lacks the specialized laboratory to facilitate such checks.
Indonesia has promised to reduce ocean waste by 70% by 2025. The government is looking to invest USD 1 billion over the next few years to address the problem.
(Sources: Reuters; Mongabay)
