Balikpapan - As part of the Community Development Program (PPM) of PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM), with full support from SKK Migas and PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI) as the parent company, carries the WASTECO (Waste To Energy for Community) program. This program utilizes waste management at the Manggar Landfill (TPAS) into methane gas that can be used as an energy source for household cooking needs.

The gas produced from the pile of waste can now be used for 315 house connections, 1,095 residents or 310 heads of families, and 28 MSMEs from RT 36, RT 61, RT 95, RT 97 Manggar Village, East Balikpapan.

The cost of saving cooking with methane gas is Rp. 273.6 million / year. The use of methane gas has contributed to creating job opportunities and economic growth in the community and supporting the government in reducing the burden of 3kg LPG gas subsidies.

Pjs Communication Relations CID Manager Regional 3 Kalimantan, Pandjie Galih Anoraga, explained that Wasteco is one of PHM's flagship programs aiming to impact the community positively.

"We apply a variety of social innovations in the implementation of community development programs / Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility so that they can have a significant and sustainable impact," said Pandjie.

Furthermore, Pandjie added that the Wasteco Program is motivated by the problem of waste products that continues to increase and needs to be appropriately managed. On the other hand, it has the potential to produce methane gas as much as 1.5 million m3 / year, and only 0.98% is utilized. Based on this, PHM took the initiative to develop the Wasteco program in collaboration with the Balikpapan City Government through TPAS Manggar.

"The method used in the Wasteco program is methane gas. Capture and distribution system from TPAS Manggar to the community based on simple application by integrating PHM core competencies in the form of expertise in gas capture and distribution techniques into community development programs," he explained.

The uniqueness of the Wasteco program includes collaboration between the Government, Company, and Society and the use of New and Renewable Energy (Methane Gas), as much as 594,000 m3 / year of methane gas production, which is distributed to the community as a substitute for LPG gas for cooking.

"With this amount, it means that PHM has contributed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 288,449 CO2 eq/year", concluded Pandjie.

This Wasteco program has been able to provide various positive impacts, such as saving cooking costs for the community and contributing to reducing emissions, in addition to helping to develop community MSME businesses by utilizing methane gas.

PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM) is a subsidiary of PHI that runs upstream oil and gas operations and business by ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) principles in the Mahakam Working Area in East Kalimantan. PHM, together with other PHI subsidiaries and affiliates, runs innovative Social and Environmental Responsibility programs in the fields of Economy, Education, Health, Environment, Infrastructure, and Disaster Response to support sustainable community empowerment and the achievement of Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). PHI headquarters is in Jakarta. More information about PHI is available at https://phi.pertamina.com.