BRIN Advances Waste-to-Energy Plant Pilot Project

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) continuously advances the a waste-to-energy plant pilot project called "PLTSa Merah Putih" as a waste-to-energy initiative. The facility serves as a demonstrative proof of concept for converting urban waste into renewable energy.

In BRIN's press release on Thursday, April 16, 2026, the pilot project has been developed since 2017 to address public concerns over waste-to-energy implementation. It supports regulatory frameworks promoting environmentally friendly waste processing technologies across seve cities in the country.

Researcher at BRIN's Research Center for Environment and Clean Technology, Wiharja explained that the system uses municipal waste as the main energy source. Waste undergoes sorting and drying processes to improve calorific value before combustion stages begin.

The processed waste is burned to produce heat, generating steam that drives turbines and electricity generators. The system also includes emission filtering mechanisms that comply with environmental standards set by authorities.

“This approach can process and reduce waste volume quickly and significantly up to 80 percent, as well as converting it into energy," Wiharja conveyed.

However, according to him, the pilot waste-to-energy plant still operates at a demonstrative scale. It was built with a processing capacity of 100 tons daily since 2018-2022, in collaboration with Jakarta Government.

The facility generates approximately 700 kilowatts of electricity used entirely for internal operational requirements. It is still yet to be at commercial scale.

"In full-scale development, the energy potential from urban waste in big cities like Jakarta can be dozens of megawatts," Wiharja said. However, this will depend on the volume and characteristic of the waste.

Developed countries such as Germany, France, China, Japan, Singapore, and many more have implemented this approach in managing city waste. BRIN aimed to adapt similar ways to process waste into energy in Indonesia, however it will require further involvement by the government, private sector, and the people.