VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 19 - Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan commenced the operations of a hazardous oil waste treatment facility and tank cleaning of PT Batam Slop & Sludge Treatment Centre (BSSTEC) in Batam, Riau Islands.

"This is part of our efforts to preserve the environment by providing a treatment facility for oil waste produced during port and shipping activities. Thus, it could reduce the potential of illegal waste being disposed into the sea," Pandjaitan noted in a statement here on Friday.

During the visit on Thursday (March 18), the minister observed the liquid and solid waste treatment facility, including Sludge Storage, Processing Pit, Power Generation System, Emergency Generator, and Oil Storage, with a capacity to process 40 MT of oil sludge per day.

Pandjaitan is upbeat about the BSSTEC investment, worth Rp1.8 trillion, in the facility having a two-fold impact on the economy and leading to the creation of new jobs. Total planned investment of the company has reached Rp7.2 trillion.

"I hope that the realization of PT BBSTEC’s investment of Rp1.8 trillion, of the total investment plan of Rp7.2 trillion, would revive our economy that has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic," he remarked.

Pandjaitan believes that the waste treatment facility is expected to absorb workers in nearby areas, thereby aiding in lowering unemployment and boosting the people's income.

The minister has urged authorities to maintain a conducive business climate in Batam and offer the best services to investors to attract more investment. (Antaranews)