Jakarta (ANTARA) - Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian encouraged regional governments to actively collaborate with investors in the implementation of the waste-to-energy (WTE) initiative.

"WTE is a strategic breakthrough. The collaboration of regional governments, investors, and the central government is key to its success, as well as supporting national energy self-sufficiency," he said in a statement here on Friday.

In this regard, regional governments are responsible for preparing the lands, ensuring the availability of basic infrastructures, such as roads, water, and electricity infrastructures, and securing a minimum of 1,000 tons of waste supply per day for the operations of WTE plants.

Meanwhile, the investors are responsible for the construction and management of incinerator facilities, with a cooperation mechanism that mitigates risks, including a shortage of waste supply and disasters.

This scheme is expected to be able to ensure the WTE program continues to run sustainably.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs plays the role of supervisor, ensuring that regional governments prepare lands and infrastructures in accordance with the applicable standards and support collaboration between regions, especially for WTE projects that are managed jointly by regions.

Currently, there are 33 priority locations and 10 first-priority regions that have been identified for the WTE development.

The WTE program is expected to encourage local economic growth with the jobs created in various stages, from waste collection to energy distribution.

According to Karnavian, the incinerators at WTE plants can reduce waste volume by up to 90 percent, thereby preventing overcapacity at landfills and helping realize cleaner cities.

With data-based management, regional governments and investors may ensure that the existing waste can be supplied to be processed into energy.

Strong synergy between the central government, regional governments, and investors is not only expected to support renewable energy but also to strengthen the role of the Ministry of Home Affairs in ensuring smooth, safe, and beneficial program implementation.

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Translator: Fianda Sjofjan, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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