A historic milestone in waste-to-energy management in Bali has begun.\nOn Tuesday, 21 April 2026, Bali Governor Wayan Koster officially\nendorsed a strategic step to resolve the island\u2019s waste issues through\nthe signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the Development of\nWaste-to-Electricity Processing Infrastructure (PSEL) at the Office of\nthe Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The memorandum was signed by Governor Koster, Badung Regent Wayan Adi\nArnawa, and Denpasar Mayor I Gusti Ngurah Jaya Negara, along with\nrepresentatives from the central government. Among them were\nCoordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of\nEnvironment\/Head of the Environmental Control Agency Hanif Faisol\nNurofiq, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya Sugiarto, PLN\nPresident Director Darmawan Prasodjo, and Chief Investment Officer of\nDanantara Pandu Sjahrir.<\/p>\n
Governor Koster explained that the groundbreaking for the PSEL\nfacility is scheduled for 8 July 2026. \u201cIt will then be constructed over\n15 months and begin operations in November 2027,\u201d he said. This PSEL\nfacility in Bali will process 1,200 tonnes of waste per day from\nDenpasar and Badung, with contributions of 700 tonnes and 500 tonnes\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
The presence of this waste processing facility will automatically\nreduce the waste ending up at the Suwung Final Processing Site (TPA).\nThe mountain of waste at TPA Suwung, currently reaching 45 metres high,\nwill be sorted and processed into electricity. The Bali Provincial\nGovernment will also soon transform the site, which has existed since\n1984, into a green open space or city park.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuwung means quiet. In the past, there was no one there, then it\nbecame a rubbish dump. It turned out to be too convenient (to dump waste\nthere) until it became overloaded, causing environmental impacts,\u201d he\nsaid. TPA Suwung will no longer accept organic waste and residue from 1\nAugust 2026. Currently, there are four Integrated Waste Processing Sites\n(TPST) and 23 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Waste Processing Sites (TPS3R) in\nDenpasar and Badung.<\/p>\n
Regarding organic waste, Governor Koster said it must be handled at\nthe source, at the household and village\/sub-district level, using bag\ncomposters or modern pits. \u201cSo every type of waste has its own pathway,\u201d\nsaid Koster. \u201cWaste sorting from the source is important and will be\nstrictly enforced so that waste-to-electricity processing can be\noptimal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commitment from the Start of His Tenure as Governor<\/p>\n
It is not easy to build public awareness about the importance of\nwaste management. Governor Koster said that one month after being\ninaugurated as Bali Governor in his first term, he immediately issued\nBali Governor Regulation Number 97 of 2018 on Restrictions on Single-Use\nPlastic Waste Generation. \u201cI was inaugurated as governor on 5 September\n2018, and on 5 October I had already issued a policy to limit the use of\nsingle-use plastics because plastic is one of the dominant wastes in\nBali,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In the following year, Governor Koster issued Bali Governor\nRegulation Number 47 of 2019 on Source-Based Waste Management. \u201cSo that\nwaste is handled at the source,\u201d he said. This policy began to be\nsocialised in December 2019. The community worked together to sort and\nprocess waste at the village\/sub-district level, leading to the\nemergence of the spirit of \u201cmy village is clean without dirtying other\nvillages.\u201d In tandem, the Bali Provincial Government endeavoured to\nprovide TPS3R in 636 villages and 80 sub-districts. At that time, 212\nTPS3R had been built, and waste sorting efforts began to gain\nmomentum.<\/p>\n
However, the world then grappled with the COVID pandemic at the start\nof 2020. Bali was affected. Tourism was paralysed. The economy was\nsluggish. Budgets were redirected to disease control and assistance for\nbusiness actors. Suddenly, waste issues evaporated amid the hustle of\npandemic handling.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeanwhile, my target at that time was for all villages to have TPS3R\nby 2022 or 2023,\u201d said Governor Koster. \u201cBut it could not be optimised\nbecause the community was also facing difficult situations due to the\nCOVID pandemic. This programme could not be forced.\u201d<\/p>\n
The determination to address waste issues was delayed for about two\nyears amid economic recovery, but Governor Koster\u2019s term ended on 5\nSeptember 2023. \u201cStuck, it didn\u2019t progress. Waste management was\ndirectionless,\u201d said Koster. As a result, waste problems resurfaced.\nWaste piled up, especially in cities and markets. TPA Suwung exceeded\ncapacity.<\/p>\n
Inaugurated as Bali Governor for his second term on 20 February 2025,\nWayan Koster\u2019s enthusiasm to resolve waste issues burned even brighter.\n\u201cNow or never. Now or never at all,\u201d he said enthusiastically,\nconsidering the immense challenges. As if in response, on 10 October\n2025, President Prabowo Subianto issued Presidential Regulation Number\n109 of 2025 on Urban Waste Handling through Waste Processing into\nRenewable Energy Based on Environmentally Friendly Technology. This\nregulation reinforces previous policies, namely Presidential Regulation\nNumber 35 of 2018 on Accelerating the Development of\nWaste-to-Electricity Processing Installations Based on Environmentally\nFriendly Technology, which mentions Denpasar as one of the locations for\nPSEL installation development.<\/p>\n
Waste handling efforts in Bali, according to Governor Koster, are\nextremely important. The reason is that Bali is a tourism destination\nthat must be prioritised. \u201cWaste has become an issue that disrupts\nBali\u2019s tourism image and has received special attention from President\nPrabowo,\u201d he said. The local government\u2019s task, he continued, is to\nprepare land, ensure waste supply, and through socialisation to the\ncommunity. \u201cIn the near future, I will gather all regents and mayors\nacross Bali to implement source-based waste management.\u201d<\/p>\n
The First Step Determines Everything: Waste Sorting<\/p>\n
Governor Koster realises how heavy it is to build public awareness\nfor waste sorting. The key, he said, is to continuously conduct\nsocialisation and provide solutions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ushering-in-the-era-of-waste-to-energy-1777197079", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }