What happened
On Saturday, 10 October 2026, regency officials gathered at Purnama Beach in Gianyar to sign a 2026-2030 commitment on low-emission zones. Six parts of Bali will carry the status: Nusa Dua, Nusa Penida, Kuta, Ubud, Sanur and the protected heritage quarter around Jalan Gajah Mada in Denpasar.
Gianyar and Badung have both endorsed the plan and are now drafting concrete measures. Ubud is leaning on solar energy. Kuta is starting with public transport.
Ubud: solar for restaurants and lodging
Gianyar regional secretary I Gusti Bagus Adi Widya Utama, known as Gus Bem, said the regency will roll out PLTS, the Indonesian term for solar power plants. He said they are meant for every restaurant and accommodation business in Ubud. The direction comes from Bali governor Wayan Koster and has the backing of Badung, Klungkung and the Denpasar city government.
The idea still has to clear coordination meetings at regency and provincial level. Gus Bem declined to describe the other measures Gianyar is preparing. He said the specifics will be set out in a governor regulation, which technical agencies will then carry out.
"We see the goal as a good one, so that our tourism moves up a class," said Gus Bem, Gianyar's regional secretary.
Kuta: electric shuttles in their own lane
Badung regent I Wayan Adi Arnawa said the Kuta zone will begin with public transport. The regency is adding electric feeder shuttles on a loop from the Kuta central parking facility along Jalan Patih Jelantik to the Bali bombing memorial in Legian and back.
The plan is to give the shuttles an exclusive lane, which means removing roadside parking. Badung has already acquired land at several points, mainly along Jalan Pantai Kuta, to build parking pockets instead.
The regent's reasoning was simple. If people leave their cars to escape traffic and the shuttle then sits in the same jam, the switch achieves nothing.
The legal basis
The commitment rests on Bali governor decree No. 912/04/B/HK/2026, signed on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. It sets an environmental, low-emission principle covering waste sorted at source, limits on single-use plastic and the use of solar power.
The layers matter here. The decree has been issued and sets the framework. Specific duties for businesses, such as who must install solar panels and by when, are not yet written down. According to Gus Bem, they will appear in a future governor regulation (Pergub) once the meetings are done.
What it means for owners and businesses
In Ubud the impact falls mainly on hospitality. Whether private rental villas would fall under the solar requirement has not been specified. So far there is no deadline, no capacity standard and no word on subsidies.
In Kuta the change is about access by car. Under the plan, roadside parking along the shuttle route gives way to the dedicated lane, with parking pockets provided for cars. The other listed areas, including Sanur and Nusa Dua, have no announced measures yet.
What else the framework covers
Solar is only one of three strands in the governor's decree. The other two deal with waste and plastic.
Managing waste at source puts the sorting duty on whoever produces the rubbish, not only on the collection company. For a rental villa that is a question for the manager: are there separate bins and a collection contract in place? Limits on single-use plastic affect guest supplies, from bottled water to packaging.
For now these points are principles. The source names no fines, inspections or deadlines. Those are what to look for in the regulation.