Indonesia to generate clean energy from trash-
Waste is increasingly becoming one of the pressing issues in Indonesia. Approximately 70 per cent of the 64 million tonnes of solid waste generated in the country annually is transported to landfills. Of this, only about 2 per cent is recycled (in urban regions the rate is at 7.5 per cent). Rapid urbanisation is putting pressure on existing solid waste management facilities. Over-burdened landfills results in burning of waste openly and inadequate collection and disposal facilities cause dumping of garbage in waterways. This results in pollution of the oceans and air, exposing residents to health risks.
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, produces 7,500 tonnes per day (tpd) of waste; of this, 6,700 tpd is dumped at the Bantar Gebang dumpsite in Bekasi, West Java. Waste is being accumulated and the landfill is expected to exceed its capacity within the next 10 years. Another dumpsite, Leuwi Gajah in Cimahi, West Java, had experienced a landslide in 2015 as it exceeded its capacity.
In light of these issues and several others, the Indonesian government is taking steps to curb solid waste. For instance, waste-to-energy (WtE) plants based on plasma gasification, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), and geothermal technology are being constructed. Besides, other integrated solid waste management plants with waste processing units and storage facilities have also been planned.
Converting waste to energy
To make Indonesia waste-free by 2020, the Indonesian government proposes to set up seven WtE plants. These plants will be developed in Surakarta, Tangerang, Semarang, Jakarta, Bandung, Denpasar and Makassar cities in Indonesia. The energy so generated from the WtE plants will be purchased by the state electricity company – Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). According to a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed in December 2016, PLN will buy electricity at a tariff of $18.77 cent or Rp 2,496 per kW.
The WtE plant in Surakarta will be developed by a consortium comprising Citra Metrojaya Putra and Pembangunan Perusahaan, a state-owned enterprise, in cooperation with the Austria-based General Electric. It will convert 1.8 million metric tonnes of garbage from the Putri Cempo dump in Central Java into electricity using plasma gasification technology. With the technology, 450 tpd of garbage, producing 12 MW of electricity per hour will be processed. Currently, the detailed engineering and design of the project is in progress and work is expected to commence soon. The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2019.
Work is also expected to begin soon on another WtE plant in the Rawa Kucing landfill area of Tangerang, Banten. The landfill is spread over a 34 hectare area and about 17 tpd of waste is dumped at the facility. The 10 MW WtE plant will be accommodated at the landfill itself. Currently, work on associated infrastructure facilities, such as roads is under way. As of April 2018, the government is seeking an investor to finance the project.
In Semarang, an anaerobic digestion plant is planned to be developed at Kabpaten. For its development, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between PT AHN and Pemkab Semarang in February 2018. The plant will process 200-300 tpd of waste to generate electricity (10 MW) and fertiliser products. Ductor Corporation will provide the biological fermentation technology on which it is based. It will be developed in a phased manner. The Nusa Suriamas Group, Malaysia, will provide funds to the tune of Rp 400 billion. It will be developed within three years.
Beside these WtE plants, an integrated solid waste treatment facility is proposed to be developed at Sunter in Jakarta using geothermal energy technology. The WtE plant will have a processing capacity of 2,000 tpd of waste to generate 40 MW of power. Besides, waste processing units, storage facilities, and a powerhouse with turbines will be installed and transmission lines will be laid. To develop the integrated facility, a concession agreement was signed between Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), the Fortum Corporation and Heat Oy in December 2016. Later, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) was appointed as study consultant and Babcock and Wilcox Volund AS as technical consultant. In July 2017, ITB together with Jakpro completed the feasibility studies. Currently, Jakpro is in the process of signing the final agreement with the Fortum Corporation.
The other proposed WtE plants in Denpasa and Makassar are currently at a nascent stage, while the one at Bandung is facing public protest. It was initially proposed in 2013 and the contract was awarded to Bandung Raya Indah Lestari, a private company. It is now expected to be developed using bio-digester technology.
Recently, Bali has also been added to the list of cities getting a WtE plant. Bali, being a tourist destination, generates huge amounts of waste. To mange waste effectively, talks are in final stages with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Indonesia to develop a plant for converting waste into energy. The facility will have a separate area for processing of waste into energy (sanitary landfill), and another to produce electricity (waste to energy). The tender for the project is expected to be issued soon and work is expected to commence by end-May 2018. The authorities are also seeking investors to finance the project.
Other treatment plants
In order to curb the waste pilled at the Bantar Gebang dumpsite in Bekasi, West Java, the Jakarta administration plans to develop an integrated waste treatment plant. An agreement was signed between the Jakarta administration and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) in December 2017. Work on the plant is expected to start by end-2018 at an investment of Rp 900 billion ($63 million). Land for the project will be provided by the Jakarta administration while BPPT will take up the construction work. The plant will have the capacity to treat 50 tpd of waste, generating 400 kW of electricity.
Another municipal solid waste (MSW) management facility is proposed to be developed in Cilacap, Central Java. The facility will be the first integrated MSW-to-RDF processing facility in Indonesia. To develop the facility, an MoU was signed between Holcim Indonesia, the government of Central Java province, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Danish government in August 2017. The facility will be able to treat up to 120 tpd of domestic waste using bio-drying. It is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2018.
Conclusion
While the Indonesian government’s effort to ensure efficient waste management through the implementation of various projects is laudable, it will need to take up sustainable waste management measures. For instance, the concept of 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) system proposed under the Waste Management Law, 2008 has to be followed actively in each municipality of the country. Waste segregation efficiency among households is another area of concern, as it remains persistently low. It has been noted that communities in Depok, West Java, have been extremely successful at landfill diversion, achieving close to a 100 per cent segregation rate. Other municipalities in the region have to tread a similar path to achieve the overall aim of the waste-free Indonesia.
