Prabowo orders faster rollout of waste-to-energy projects

hartono · Mar 26, 2026

President Prabowo Subianto receives Minister of Investment and Downstreaming, who is also CEO of Danantara, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, along with several ministers of the Red and White Cabinet at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, Wednesday (March 25, 2026). ANTARA/HO-BPMI Sekretariat Presiden

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the acceleration of waste-to-energy (WTE) development in major Indonesian cities, aiming to tackle mounting waste and boost alternative energy supply, officials said on Wednesday.

Prabowo delivered the directive during a meeting with Investment and Downstreaming Minister Rosan Perkasa Roeslani and other cabinet members at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said Roeslani briefed the president on progress of WTE initiatives, particularly in densely populated urban centers such as Jakarta, Tangerang, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan and Denpasar in Bali.

Wijaya said the program is expected to provide a strategic solution to Indonesia’s long-standing waste management challenges, which have yet to be addressed effectively in many regions.

Beyond waste reduction, the WTE initiative is also designed to support the development of sustainable alternative energy sources.

He said the president has instructed the central government to address waste issues in regions through swift and integrated measures, emphasizing coordination across agencies and local administrations.

The head of state expects accumulated waste, a persistent urban problem, to be cleared and converted into electricity to deliver both environmental and economic benefits.

“President Prabowo wants the government to immediately manage waste that has long been poorly handled, so it can be processed and turned into energy, especially electricity,” Wijaya said.

The policy reflects the administration’s push to modernize waste management through technology-driven solutions while strengthening energy security using domestic and environmentally friendly resources.