Governor Bobby Explores Waste-to-Energy Cooperation with Finland
The Governor of North Sumatra, Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution, is exploring cooperation for waste-to-energy (PSEL) processing with Finland. This partnership is expected to support waste management while simultaneously strengthening the electricity supply across various regions in North Sumatra, including remote areas.
The existence of PSEL facilities is urgently needed to address waste management challenges in North Sumatra. Currently, a 1s-megawatt (MW) PSEL project serving Medan City and Deliserdang Regency is underway. Bobby hopes that the development of similar facilities can be expanded to other regions in North Sumatra, especially those that are difficult to reach.
“We hope that Finland can support the programme to build these PSEL facilities; we hope we can cooperate on a similar scale or even smaller scales in several regions,” said Bobby, while receiving an audience with the Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia, Pekka Kaihilahti, at the North Sumatra Governor’s Office in Medan on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.
Bobby stated that PSEL can provide numerous benefits. In addition to helping meet electricity needs, these facilities also serve as a solution for managing community waste sustainably.
The Governor of North Sumatra also offered opportunities for cooperation in the downstream industry sector. According to him, North Sumatra possesses great potential for industrial development, supported by abundant natural resources and a strategic geographical location along the international Malacca Strait trade route.
Furthermore, Bobby highlighted several of North Sumatra’s flagship commodities, including palm oil, which has significant potential for development through various derivative industries. “We are very open regarding palm oil processing; this is one of the most potential sectors in North Sumatra,” Bobby said.
Meanwhile, the Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia, Pekka Kaihilahti, expressed his country’s readiness to provide waste-to-energy technology, both on a small and large scale, in North Sumatra. Finland is also prepared to provide assistance, ranging from technology implementation and waste sorting systems to community education.
According to Pekka, waste management was once a major challenge in Finland. However, through the development of waste-to-energy technology, only about one per cent of waste now ends up in landfills.
Finland, he continued, has developed modular waste-to-electricity processing systems that can be applied at various scales. Small-capacity systems are considered suitable for remote areas, given that Finland’s geography, characterised by islands and dispersed settlements, shares similarities with Indonesia.
Also in attendance during the meeting were the Vice Governor of North Sumatra, Surya, along with several heads of regional apparatus organisations (OPD) from the North Sumatra Provincial Government.