REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Directorate General of Renewable Energy and Energy Conversion (EBTKE) of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM) is having a program to generate electricity from liquid waste of palm oil mills. "We are planning a special mandatory program to utilize Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) to generate electricity. Palm oil factories would be required to convert POME into electricity," EBTKE Director General Rida Mulyana said in a function on "Biogas and Waste to Energy Indonesia Forum 2017" here on Wednesday.

Rida said the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM) is discussing regulation with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry obliging palm oil factories to utilize POME to generate electricity. He said there are more than 800 palm oil plants in the country mainly in Sumatra and Kalimantan turning out liquid or solid waste.

Solid waste of palm oil could be processed to produce biomass energy with capacity up to 700 megawatt (MW), and liquid waste, which contains methane could have been processed into biogas but factories often just burned their waste that could instead damage the environment, he said. "As long as palm oil factories run, there would be waste in the form of liquid containing methane. If the waste is burned, the methane would cause air pollution and methane is 21 more hazardous than CO2," he said.

He said the program would add to the financial benefit for palm oil factories that the project could be expected to be in line with the government commitment to reducing carbon emission. The government has said that renewable energy would contribute 23 percent to the country's energy mix in 2015.

In addition, the government hopes to provide sustainable energy supply for the people, he said. He said most developing countries are still dependent on fossil energy such as oil, gas and coal, the reserves of most of which would be almost depleted in 2025.

The ESDM Ministry, therefore, plan to boost development of renewable energy especially in eastern Indonesia.

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