Indonesia's government is promoting pyrolysis technology as a complementary processing solution to waste to energy plants, acknowledging that planned WtE facilities will handle only about 22 per cent of national waste generation.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said the wider adoption of pyrolysis, which converts accumulated landfill waste into diesel equivalent renewable fuel, is projected to address a further 20 per cent of Indonesia's waste management challenge.
Presidential Regulation 109 of 2025 has accelerated WtE plant construction across multiple regions. Thirteen facilities are currently under development, with a Palembang plant targeted to begin operations in October 2026. However, combined capacity remains insufficient to process the country's total waste output.
The government is developing pyrolysis capacity through collaboration with the Indonesian Army and local governments, with pilot projects operational in five regions: Bogor City, Bogor District, Semarang City, Bekasi City and Jakarta.
Hasan emphasised that accelerating waste management is critical to reduce landfill accumulation and mitigate elevated fire risk during dry seasons. Converting waste into energy forms part of Indonesia's broader strategy to ease landfill pressure whilst generating economic and energy benefits for communities.
'We want to not only resolve the waste issue, but also generate economic and energy benefits for the community,' said Hasan. 'Through swift, collaborative effort, we can achieve this target.'
Indonesia pursues pyrolysis technology to bridge waste to energy gap
