Bali’s long standing struggle with waste management is now being pushed into a faster lane. With direct attention from President Prabowo Subianto, the provincial government is under clear instruction to move decisively, and Governor Wayan Koster says Bali is ready to respond. In line with the President’s directive, Koster said the provincial government is speeding up concrete measures through the Waste to Energy Power Generation project (PSEL).
Koster stressed that waste handling has become a top priority for the Bali Provincial Government following the President’s explicit emphasis on the issue. Rather than treating the spotlight as criticism, he sees it as a clear signal of concern for Bali’s future as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations. According to him, the problem of waste is not only about environmental health, but also about how Bali is perceived globally and how its tourism industry can remain sustainable in the long term.
The governor made it clear that the attention from the President should not be answered with defensiveness. Instead, it must be turned into momentum for real improvement. He emphasized that Bali must respond with concrete action and faster execution.
“He reminded us about waste. That means we must take this very seriously. This is not an ordinary warning, but a push for us to move faster and more decisively,” Koster said during his remarks at the inauguration and oath taking of senior and administrative officials within the Bali Provincial Government at Wiswa Sabha, the Bali Governor’s Office in Denpasar, on Tuesday (3/2).
Read also: Bukittinggi Wins ASEAN’s Cleanest Tourist City Award 2026
Despite repeated public discussion about waste issues, Koster noted that international tourist arrivals to Bali are actually on the rise. Still, he firmly rejected the idea that growing visitor numbers should lead to complacency. For him, the urgency of waste management stands on its own and must be resolved completely, regardless of tourism statistics.
“It’s not about whether tourist numbers go up or down. This waste issue must be handled seriously and must be resolved,” he asserted.
As a concrete response to the President’s directive, the Bali Provincial Government is accelerating the Waste to Energy Power Generation project, known as PSEL. This initiative is designed to turn waste into electricity and is positioned as a key solution to Bali’s growing waste challenge.
Koster confirmed that construction of the strategic project is scheduled to begin in March 2026. The initial focus will be on the Denpasar and Badung areas, where waste volumes are particularly high. He explained that the decision to proceed has been discussed directly with the central government, including the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Investment, ensuring alignment between regional and national policies.
Although the project experienced adjustments related to its location, Koster emphasized that these changes did not affect the overall timeline. There has been no delay in implementation and no need for a re tendering process that could slow progress.
Through the acceleration of the PSEL project, Koster underlined the provincial government’s commitment to solving the waste problem in a comprehensive and lasting way. For Bali, he said, managing waste properly is no longer optional. It is a responsibility tied directly to environmental protection, global reputation, and the future of tourism on the island.
.){kind=link}