Indonesia: A refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant in Rorotan, North Jakarta has been shut down temporally due to air pollution. The unit was reportedly emitting “foul-smelling smoke” during a test run in February 2025, according to the Jakarta Post newspaper. The incident led to a protest by local residents demanding that the site be closed. Asep Kuswanto, the head of the Jakarta Environment Agency, said that the closure was required to allow the contractor to install deodorisers and filters. The agency will also be installing air quality monitoring equipment in homes within a 4 – 5km radius of the site. The plant has blamed the issue on the plant’s odour control system not working properly during testing.
The US$74m Rorotan RDF plant was set to start full operation in mid-March 2025. It is designed to process about one-third of the city’s 8000t/day municipal waste. Currently, this waste is being sent to a landfill site. RDF from the plant is planned to go to cement and power plants.