Antara News·Indonesia·Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 01:21 PM UTC

Palembang waste to energy project enters commissioning phase

Translate

Edo, Azis Kurmala

Palembang (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan and Palembang Mayor Ratu Dewa inspected a waste to energy (WtE) facility in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Wednesday.

"The project, worth nearly Rp3 trillion in investment, has entered the operational testing, or commissioning phase," Zulkifli said.

He said although the facility was still undergoing operational trials, electricity generated from Palembang's waste had already been connected to the state electricity company's (PLN) grid, with output exceeding the initial target.

The facility was initially designed to generate 17.7 megawatts (MW) of electricity but is currently producing 18.6 MW, with output projected to reach 20 MW during peak load periods.

"It has entered the commissioning phase and is undergoing operational trials. Only a few refinements remain. God willing, it will be fully operational by December 2026 and ready for inauguration," Zulkifli said.

According to the minister, the project offered three direct benefits to residents, starting with a cleaner environment.

The 1,100 tons of waste collected daily by the Palembang city government would no longer accumulate and pose risks of fires, methane emissions, and microplastic contamination, but instead be processed into energy.

Another benefit is electricity generation, which could supply between 14,000 and 15,000 households in Palembang.

The project is also expected to create employment opportunities for 500 to 1,000 local workers.

"Imagine how something that previously posed serious environmental problems can now be turned into electricity. Technology has transformed it into something beneficial," he said.

Meanwhile, Palembang Mayor Ratu Dewa said the WtE project had reached 98.5 percent completion and was scheduled to be inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto on December 8, 2026.

To ensure an adequate supply of waste for the facility, he said, the city government had maintained regular waste collection, averaging 1,100 tons per day.

"However, we still need an additional 171 waste collection vehicles. The South Sumatra provincial government has provided assistance, and the city government has requested another 50 vehicles from the central government," he said.

With the WtE facility set to become operational, Palembang is positioning itself among the first cities in Indonesia to turn its waste management challenges into an energy solution for residents.

View the original on Antara News →

KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.