Pertamina Accompanies the Community to Utilize Methane Gas from Waste

Jakarta, March 13, 2021 – PT Pertamina (Persero), through its subsidiary Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM), is committed to providing renewable energy needs in Indonesia from local resources. Pertamina's innovation program, WASTECO (Waste Energy For Community), has successfully utilized 172.800 m3 ton per year of methane gas and save fuel usage for generator fuel for the Final Waste Disposal Site 28.080 m3 per year.

WASTECO program started because waste production continues to increase, reaching 350 tons per day. However, the surrounding community still believes that waste is only a problem and not usable. It encourages Pertamina to educate and accompany the Balikpapan community to manage waste to become methane gas utilized by the community.

Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations of Pertamina, Agus Suprijanto, said that Pertamina collaborates with local government, academics, and related parties to accompany the community to manage waste to become Methane Gas.

In the process, Pertamina assisted the community in repairing methane gas installations and connecting them to residents' homes for cooking fuel. Pertamina also added methane gas wells in 2 zones and procured methane gas meters. Also, Pertamina is building a mini-gas power plan for Final Waste Disposal Site electricity.

"Processing waste into methane gas not only provides energy independently but also keeps the environment clean and healthy," said Agus.

Currently, the surrounding community can feel the benefits of the WASTECO program. Among these are savings in cooking expenses of IDR 57.6 million per year in 80 gas connections to residents' homes connected to methane gas connections and savings in diesel/electricity costs of IDR 62.8 million per year.

Through this program, 1 group of methane gas management in the community was formed professionally and independently. Pertamina also noted an increase in community income after this program was implemented.

Agus added, in 2021, the WASTECO program will be continued by adding gas connections to residents' homes, building a Gas Cafe, and repairing a methane gas educational park. Pertamina will also conduct Final Waste Disposal Site emergency response team training and SME training.

This program seeks to support the government to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), point 7, which is to provide clean and affordable energy, and point 11, which is to reduce the environmental impact of cities by paying special attention to air quality including handling municipal waste. It also seeks to achieve point 12 to reduce waste production through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.

"The development of renewable energy is Pertamina's commitment to supporting the Government to increase the energy mix and prepare for future energy transitions as part of the implementation of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance), which supports efforts to develop a sustainable energy business," Agus concluded.**