Court annuls presidential regulation on waste-to-energy power plant development
Thursday, January 19 2017 - 05:27 AM WIB
The Supreme Court has annulled a presidential regulation issued in February of last year on the acceleration of waste-based power generation development in seven cities.
This was said by Dwi Sawing of the Walhi environmental group on Monday. Walhi and 15 other individuals and environmental non-government organizations filed for a judicial review of the presidential regulation in July of last year, citing concerns over environmental and health hazard from power generation processing waste into electricity. Walhi also said that the presidential regulation was in breach of a number of laws including Law on Environment and Law on Health. The Court issued its ruling on November 2 of last year.
President Joko Widodo signed in February of last year the presidential regulation on the acceleration of waste-to-energy power generation projects in seven cities including Tangerang, Bandung, Semarang, Surakarta, Surabaya and Makassar. Under the regulation, the city administrations are allowed to directly appoint private firms to help develop the waste-based power plants. The regulation was aimed at helping the government to increase the role of renewables in the country?s energy mix as well as deal with the mounting waste problem in large cities.
But Walhi said that waste in the cities must be treated through conventional measures so as not to cause health and environmental problems. The grouping also insisted that companies must be responsible in treating their own waste products.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak