Riau Police and Pekanbaru City Government Turn Waste into Energy
The city of Pekanbaru, in Riau Province, is preparing to become a centre of excellence for modern waste processing on Sumatra. The Riau Regional Police (Polda Riau) and the Pekanbaru City Government (Pemkot Pekanbaru) are collaborating to convert waste at the Muara Fajar landfill into energy.
Using Waste-to-Energy (WTE) technology, Muara Fajar landfill is projected to become a Biogas-Fired Power Plant (PLTBio) capable of generating up to 3 Megawatts of electricity. Besides environmental benefits, this Green Project is believed to bring further advantages for the Pekanbaru City Government.
Under a business-to-business (B2B) model, the WTE project, overseen through the Green Policing programme of Polda Riau, is expected to deliver a host of multiplier effects for Riau Province, economically, ecologically and socially.
“Technically, this advanced facility will capture toxic methane gas from the waste stack and convert it into green electricity with a capacity of 3 Megawatts (MW). The facility is projected to feed 20.5 million kWh of electricity per year into the PLN grid,” said Zahwani Pandra Arsyad, Head of Public Relations at Polda Riau, in a statement on Saturday (7 February 2026).
Under the B2B scheme, the Pekanbaru City Government would not need to spend a single rupiah of the Regional Public Budget (APBD). The city would no longer need to pay tipping fees and the APBD burden for landfill operations would be greatly reduced.
“With this WTE technology, waste volume is expected to be reduced by 80-90%, the odour from the landfill will vanish drastically, and the risk of waste-land fires can be prevented,” he added.
Economically, the project not only benefits from electricity sales but also potentially earns revenue from carbon credit trading, estimated at Rp 6.7 billion per year.
Moreover, the project will directly absorb local labour, with an estimated 50-100 people during construction and 15-20 permanent staff during operation.
The Head of Public Relations noted that this integrated initiative is tangible proof that smart policing (Polda Riau) through Green Policing, in collaboration with local government and the private sector, can directly support the National Work Plan (RKP) priorities in realising energy sovereignty and an inclusive economy.
WTE Without APBD
The Mayor of Pekanbaru, Agung Nugroho, welcomed the Green Policing programme through Waste-to-Energy technology to tackle waste problems at Muara Fajar landfill. He said the project is entirely zero burden on the APBD. “The city feels very helped. This is truly zero APBD. In fact, the city stands to gain from land lease payments for the landfill and there will be a revenue share from selling electricity to PLN. This is an outstanding collaboration,” said Agung Nugroho in a statement on Friday (6 March).
Beyond the economic aspects, Agung believes the project can protect the environment. With the landfill site spanning around 4 hectares and nearing capacity, this technology allows waste to be reduced significantly. “Through membrane capping and methane extraction, organic waste will be broken down and reduced. In other words, the land that was previously full of waste can be repurposed for other uses in the future. This decade-long problem could finally be resolved,” added Agung.
The Pekanbaru City Government has signed an MoU with PT ICE, the private sector partner that will manage the waste. Equipment such as pipes and membranes has arrived at Muara Fajar landfill and is being prepared. “We already have an MoU with PT ICE for leasing the landfill land and pipes; the membranes are installed, perhaps around 30 percent,” he said.
(mea/dhn)