President issues new ruling to accelerate waste to energy plant projects

President Joko Widodo has issued a new regulation to accelerate the development of waste-based power plants in several major cities in a bid to resolve the mounting waste problem and increase the supply of electricity.

The Office of the Cabinet Secretary said in a statement last week that the presidential regulation, which was signed on February 13, aims to accelerate the development of waste to energy plants in a number of cities including Jakarta, Tangerang, Bandung, Semarang, Surakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar.

According to the regulation, city administration-owned companies can appoint private companies to help develop the plants that would produce electricity from wastes.

The regulation also stipulates that state-owned power firm PT PLN is obliged to buy the electricity, and is required to sign the power purchase agreement within 35 days after the city administrations appoint developers of the projects.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak