President Jokowi Inaugurates Benowo Waste-to-Energy Plant

INDUSTRY.co.id - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Thursday (06/05) inaugurated Waste-to-Energy Plant of Benowo Landfill in the East Java capital of Surabaya.

In his opening remarks, the President expressed appreciation for the work performance of Surabaya city government that has enabled the waste-to-energy plant to operate.

“I sincerely appreciate, highly value the waste-to-energy plant. This is a good one, based on environmentally sound technology,” the President said.

According to him, the waste-to-energy plant in Surabaya is the first plant to operate out of the plants in seven cities that have been stipulated in Presidential Regulation Number 18 of 2016.

“Surabaya city government deserves credit for speed in working so the first (plant) is completed. Of all the seven cities I appointed through a Presidential Regulation, this is the first one to finish. The others still go back and forth. They have issues with tipping fees, regional-government-owned properties. There are still unfinished businesses,” he said.

The Head of State also said that he has issued several legal umbrellas to support the waste-to-energy plant program and to ensure that regional governments execute the program without fear of being summoned by parties such as the Office of the District Attorney, the police, and the Corruption Eradication Commission because there is no legal umbrella yet.

“I prepared the Presidential Regulation and the Government Regulation. What for? Because based on my experience since 2008 when I was still a mayor, then a governor, then, became the President, I could not realize waste-to-energy process, which I have always wanted since I became the mayor of Solo city,” he remarked.

One of the legal umbrellas the President issued is Presidential Regulation Number 18 of 2016 on Acceleration of Waste-to-Energy Plant Construction in Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Tangerang city, Bandung city, Semarang city, Surakarta city, Surabaya city, and Makassar city.

The President also issued Presidential Regulation Number 35 of 2018 on Acceleration of Waste-to-Energy Plant Construction Based on Environmentally Sound Technology, which increased the number of appointed cities to 12. The newly appointed cities include South Tangerang city, Bekasi city, Denpasar city, Palembang city, and Manado city.

“I changed the Presidential and Government Regulations multiple times to enable all cities to carry it out because waste problem is not only about converting waste to energy. No, it is not. It is about the cleanliness of a city, about pollution that arises from piling up waste, which generates leachate when it rains, about all problems,” he said.

The President added that he will push other cities to replicate the waste treatment system based on environmentally-friendly technology that has been used in Surabaya.

“Therefore, I am once again giving credit for the government of Surabaya city, for its former mayor and its new mayor. I will order other cities not to make it complicated, to use ideas from (the plant in) Surabaya, to imitate/copy it,” he stated.

In the meantime, Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi pointed out that Surabaya city government had cooperated with a number of parties in realizing Benowo Waste-to-Energy Plant, adding that the capacity of the plant is 11 megawatts.

“The cooperation has resulted in electricity of 11 megawatts. Two megawatts from a landfill gas power plant and nine megawatts from a gasification power plant. God willing, Sir, both plants can begin to operate today,” Eri said.