Indonesia's Ministry of Environment is pushing to fast-track a waste-to-energy facility in West Java as the Greater Bandung metropolitan area faces a mounting waste crisis.
Environment Minister Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat said a tender for the Oxbow Cicukang plant in Margaasih Sub-district, Bandung District, could begin immediately once a coordination meeting produces a decision. "We don't want to drag this out," he said during a visit to the site on Sunday.
The proposed location has been assessed by the ministry's technical team as more suitable than previously considered sites, being situated away from residential areas and close to a water source. The tender-to-contract process is expected to take around one year, with the facility targeted to be operational within 18 months to two years of that.
During the construction period, interim waste processing using incinerators and Refuse-Derived Fuel technology will be introduced to manage the shortfall.
The urgency is underlined by figures from Bandung Regency, where around 1,800 tonnes of waste are generated each day but the disposal quota stands at just 280 tonnes — leaving the region in what local officials describe as a waste emergency.
West Java's regional secretary, Herman Suryatman, said waste management in Greater Bandung is a top priority for the provincial government and expressed support for the project as a long-term solution to persistent waste problems across the metropolitan area.
Indonesia accelerates waste-to-energy plant for Greater Bandung
