The government is accelerating the construction of waste-to-energy\n(WtE) projects in various cities. This step is taken to reduce the\nburden on final disposal sites (TPAs) while addressing the urban waste\nemergency issue.<\/p>\n
Amid this acceleration, several environmental technology companies\nfrom China are entering and eyeing projects in Indonesia. Among them are\nZhejiang Weiming Environment Protection and Wangneng Environment, known\nas major players in developing waste-based power plants in their\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Both companies rely on the main technology of incineration, namely\nburning waste at high temperatures of around 850 to 1,000 degrees\nCelsius. The heat from this process is used to generate steam that then\nrotates turbines to produce electricity.<\/p>\n
In practice, a WtE facility can generally process 500 to 3,000 tonnes\nof waste per day, with an electricity capacity of around 10 to 60\nmegawatts (MW). This technology can also reduce waste volume by around\n80 to 90 per cent.<\/p>\n
Zhejiang Weiming Environment Protection is a company focused on urban\nwaste treatment, waste-based power plants, liquid waste and sludge\ntreatment, as well as manufacturing environmental equipment such as\nincinerators and exhaust gas control systems. The company not only acts\nas a contractor but also as an investor and operator of projects.\nWeiming operates an integrated business model from facility\nconstruction, power plant operation, to electricity sales.<\/p>\n
In the domestic Chinese market, Weiming is considered a major player\nwith more than 50 WtE facilities built. Its market capitalisation value\nalso reaches around 7 billion US dollars. This experience has led the\ncompany to be involved in several PSEL projects, including those planned\nin Indonesia such as in Bogor and Denpasar.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Wangneng Environment has a broader business scope. In\naddition to urban waste treatment and waste-based power plants, Wangneng\nalso develops food waste treatment, sludge, and wastewater, including\nrecycling and resource recovery activities.<\/p>\n
The company has developed dozens of incineration-based power plant\nfacilities in various provinces in China. Wangneng also has\ninternational expansion through subsidiaries in several countries such\nas Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, and Singapore. The business model\nimplemented is similar, namely encompassing investment, construction,\nand integrated operation of environmental projects.<\/p>\n
The approach brought by both companies tends to be oriented towards\nquickly resolving waste issues. The incoming waste generally does not\nundergo strict sorting processes but is burned in a mixed condition.\nThis model allows large-scale processing without requiring complex\nupstream waste management systems.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, a different approach is shown by two companies in\nEurope, Vantaa Energy in Finland and Amager Bakke in Copenhagen,\nDenmark. Although still using incineration, these companies develop\nsystems that are far more integrated within the circular economy\nframework.<\/p>\n
CEO of Vantaa Energy, Jukka Toivonen, stated that waste burning is\nonly carried out on residues that cannot be recycled. \u201cOur society\nproduces fossil-based waste that cannot be recycled. The safest,\nlow-emission, and most resource-efficient way to manage it is by using\nit as an energy source for district heating and electricity,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Unlike the Chinese model that focuses on electricity, Vantaa Energy\nmaximises heat utilisation through a district heating system, namely a\nheat distribution network for household needs.<\/p>\n
In the city of Vantaa, more than 90 per cent of buildings are\nconnected to this system. This means that heat from waste burning is not\nwasted but directly utilised for room heating and water.<\/p>\n
This approach makes energy efficiency much higher. If conventional\nincineration-based power plants only have an efficiency of around 20 to\n30 per cent, then combined heat and power systems like in Finland can\nreach more than 80 per cent.<\/p>\n
Not only that, Vantaa Energy also targets the cessation of fossil\nfuel use by 2026. The company is developing Carbon Capture and Storage\ntechnology to capture carbon emissions from the burning process.\n\u201cStopping the use of fossil fuels is an important milestone in our\nsustainability journey,\u201d said Toivonen.<\/p>\n
The investment prepared for this transformation reaches around 1\nbillion euros over one decade. The funds cover the construction of waste\nsorting facilities, large-scale heat energy storage, and carbon capture\nprojects targeted to operate before 2035.<\/p>\n
In addition to Finland, a similar approach is also applied in\nDenmark, particularly in Copenhagen through the Amager Bakke facility.\nThis facility processes around 400,000 tonnes of waste per year and is\none of the most modern waste-based power plants in the world.<\/p>\n
Amager Bakke not only generates electricity for around 30,000 homes\nbut also supplies heat for around 70,000 homes through a district\nheating system. With the combined heat and power concept, energy\nutilisation from waste becomes far more optimal.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, this facility is also designed as a public space. The\nbuilding\u2019s roof is utilised as a recreational area such as a ski slope\nand hiking trail, showing the integration between energy infrastructure\nand urban space.<\/p>\n
Like in Finland, the waste burned is residue that cannot be recycled,\nso sorting remains an important part of the system. Emission control\nstandards are also very strict, in line with European Union\nenvironmental regulations.<\/p>\n
These differences in approaches show that although te<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/turning-waste-into-electricity-what-technology-is-used-in-indonesia-1775875848", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }