Supporting Waste Reduction, PLN Buys Electricity For IDR 1,800 From The Largest PLTSa In Central Java
JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) buys green energy produced from the Surakarta Waste Power Plant (PLTSa) for 13.35 US cents per kWh or equivalent to Rp. 1,800 per kWh. The purchase of electricity from the largest PLTSa in Central Java is a form of PLN's support in overcoming the waste problem in Surakarta.
General Manager of PLN Central Java and DI Yogyakarta Main Distribution Unit, M. Irwansyah Putra said this step was also part of PLN's transformation through green aspirations, by increasing the New Renewable Energy (EBT) mix in the national electricity supply.
"PLN is ready to utilize NRE by buying electricity from PLTSa in accordance with agreed terms. This is a form of PLN's support for the development of environmentally friendly energy use," he said in a written statement, quoted on Wednesday, June 23.
Previously, PLN had signed a power purchase agreement with PT Solo Citra Metro Plasma Power as the manager of the Surakarta PLTSa at the end of December 2018.
"The power plant with a capacity of 5,000 kilowatts (kW) is targeted for completion in 2022. As of May 2021, the Surakarta PLTSa construction process has reached 34.8 percent," he said.
The construction of this PLTSa also received full support from the Mayor of Surakarta, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. During his visit last February, he said the operation of this power plant would be a solution to the waste problem in Solo City.
For your information, Surakarta is one of 12 cities appointed through Presidential Regulation Number 35 of 2018 concerning Acceleration of Construction of Waste Processing Installations into Electrical Energy Based on Environmentally Friendly Technology.
PLTSa Surakarta utilizes the composition of waste accumulated from the Putri Cempo TPA with a total waste requirement of around 276 tons per day. By using an incinerator, the heat energy generated from the waste combustion process is used to drive a generator which then produces electricity.
Even though through the combustion process, the use of waste as an energy material will not pollute the surrounding environment, because the gas produced from this process is free of TAR and other harmful substances.
"Not only buying electricity from PLTSa, PLN through the co-firing program has also encouraged the use of biomass as a fuel mixture for PLTU. Biomass can be taken from agricultural waste, wood processing industrial waste, to household waste," he said.
Sourced from the National Waste Management Information System, the amount of waste in Final Disposal Sites (TPA) is 864,469 tons per day, and 3,964,946 tons of unmanaged waste per day. By utilizing waste (pellets) as a fuel substitute in a number of power plants, it can be a solution to overcome the waste problem in urban areas.