Putri Cempo WtE plant operations hampered by waste supply issues
Monday, January 26 2026 - 07:53 PM WIB
By Calvin Purba
The Ministry of Environment stated that the Putri Cempo waste-to-energy (WtE) power plant in Surakarta, Central Java, has yet to achieve full operation due to ongoing waste supply issues.
“To date, Putri Cempo has never managed to operate at full capacity, and this remains a fundamental problem for us,” Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said during a working meeting with the House of Representatives Commission XII on Monday (Jan 26, 2026).
Hanif said the Surakarta city administration has so far been unwilling to supply municipal waste as feedstock for the project, although he did not elaborate on the reasons.
“We have instructed that this issue must be resolved immediately, because the Mayor of Surakarta is also unwilling to hand over the city’s waste to Putri Cempo,” Hanif said.
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According to Hanif, for future projects, waste supply issues in waste-to-energy projects have already been anticipated under Presidential Regulation No. 119 of 2025.
“All requirements have been set out in concrete terms, including guaranteed waste availability of more than 1,500 to 2,000 tons per day to prevent future supply shortages,” Hanif said.
The Putri Cempo project was developed by PT Solo Citra Metro Plasma Power (SCMPP), a joint venture between PT Solo Citra Metro Plasma and state-owned PT Pembangunan Perumahan (PP), with a total investment of around Rp300 billion (approximately US$19 million).
The plant is designed to process 545 tons of waste per day to generate 8 MW of electricity, with 3 MW used for internal operations and 5 MW sold to state-owned electricity company PT PLN (Persero).
The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with PLN, signed in late 2016, sets a tariff of 13.55 US cents per kilowatt-hour under a 20-year contract. Electricity generated by Putri Cempo plant is distributed through the 20 kV medium-voltage grid in Palur, Karanganyar.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak