http://www.thejakartapost.com/bali-daily/2012-07-05/new-commitment-bali-trash.html
Edition: Thursday, July 05 2012
New commitment for Bali trash
by Luh De Suriyani on 2012-07-05
Four regional administrations and a private investor have renewed their commitments to effectively process solid waste into electricity supplies, as promised during the signing of an initial agreement in 2005.
The agreement, called the Public Private Partnership for Solid Waste Management, brought together four regencies and mayoralty — Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan — to work together with private investor PT Navigat Organic Energy Indonesia (PT NOEI) to process waste at the designated Suwung waste processing plant near the Sanur area.
Every day, the management transported 400 tons of solid waste from four regencies and tried to process it as alternative electricity energy.
“When signing the agreement, PT NOEI promised to be able to produce 9.8 megawatts (MW) of electricity supplies processed from daily trash,” explained I Kadek Agus Adiana, head of the management team.
Up to June, the company could only produce 1 MW of electricity.
“The provincial administration should be more patient as PT NOEI is the only investor that is willing to deal with waste processing at Suwung. The company has also spent around Rp 120 billion (US$12.84 million) in investments. Moreover, the company did not charge any tipping fee for processing waste since 2005,” added Adiana.
Adiana added that PT NOEI has decided to apply new waste processing technology called “plasma gasification”, which is considered an eco-friendly method and the latest waste processing technology.
Plasma gasification can be described as a process to covert organic-solid waste into synthesis gas (syngas) by using plasma processing. The technology is widely used as waste treatment technology, as it allows full decomposition and disintegration of organic components. The process is intended to be a net generator of electricity, depending upon the composition of input waste, and to reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfill sites.
The Bali provincial administration has previously warned the management and the company to realize the waste-based electricity program by 2013 at the latest.
Failing to meet the deadline, the administration will invite other potential investors to deal with waste processing and produce higher capacities of electricity.
“It would be difficult for any investor who wants to put money into this lack-luster project. The present investor has suffered quite huge financial losses,” said Adiana.
The management and company have only processed waste on a landfill site. “Only Badung and Denpasar are able to transport waste to the landfill, while Gianyar and Tabanan have no money to do so,” Adiana added. Ketut Wisada, head of the Denpasar sanitation and landscape office, said that the investor would face possible sanctions if commitments were not met.
Catur Yudha Hariani, an activist at the Bali Environmental Education Center, said that the local authorities had not yet adopted integrated waste processing management.
“The policy is contradictory,” she said, adding that it would be wise to allow communities to process their own trash.
“Community-based waste processing benefits the people in terms of economy and the environment. It is also effective and inexpensive,” Hariani said.