Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the sovereign wealth fund Danantara to start its $5.4 billion waste-to-energy project soon as Indonesia doesn’t want Bali to lose its popularity among international travelers.

Danantara has spent the past month getting ready to work on a waste-to-energy initiative, starting from issuing patriot bonds to arranging meetings with local governments. This multi-billion-dollar plan will see Indonesia setting up waste power plants in over 30 heavily polluted cities. The megaproject requires Rp 90 trillion or $5.4 billion in investments, and a city might have more than one plant.

“This is a very strategic program because it deals with hygiene and health, which will eventually translate into flourishing tourism. If Bali doesn’t take care of its waste problem, wouldn’t tourists be hesitant to visit a dirty, filthy place?” Prabowo said in a cabinet meeting that marked his first year in office on Monday.

“So thank you, Danantara. Please implement the program immediately.”

Prabowo pointed out how the Bekasi sub-district of Bantargebang could generate 55 million tons of waste, which could spill into the local villages during a downpour. The president also instructed Danantara to implement the program in all the targeted cities within two years.

Danantara plans to prioritize 10 cities that have sufficient waste feedstock and land availability. That includes Jakarta, Bekasi, Bali, among others. The fund’s chief executive officer, Rosan Roeslani, told the press a few days ago that at least 100 companies had lined up to join the tender as the technological partner. Some had come from Japan, China, and Germany. Rosan claimed that the potential investors were the “big players” in their respective countries. He, however, kept the investors’ names anonymous.

As for the finances, Rosan not long ago admitted that parts of the proceeds made by the “fully subscribed” patriot bonds would go into funding the waste-to-energy projects. Danantara has issued patriot bonds at below-market yields to raise up to Rp 50 trillion ($3 billion). The fund has marketed the bonds to the country’s wealthiest tycoons via a private placement scheme. The tender for the technological partner is expected to take place early next month.

Prabowo inked a presidential decree on the waste-to-energy program about two weeks ago. The document mandates state utility firm PLN to buy the electricity produced by the waste power plants at $0.20 per kilowatt-hour.

Bali attracted almost 4 million foreign tourists between January and July 2025. About 23.1 percent of the foreigners visiting the Island of Gods in July were Australians. The government data showed that the province produced nearly 1.3 million tons of waste throughout 2024. The daily waste production in Bali stands at around 3,436 tons.

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