Waste-to-energy plan to solve city trash problem

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Optimism is starting to build over the waste-to-energy technology being proposed to solve the city’s garbage problem.

City general services officer Romeo Concio said the city’s hope for the proposed technology was bolstered by the positive comments it received during its assessment by the National Solid Waste Management Council.

Concio said based from the NSWMCC, the proposed technology stands a chance of being approved if it complies with the smoke emission standards and requirements of the board.

Concio said the proponent, a company based in Singapore, is now fast-tracking the completion of its final proposal and other additional documents required by the commission to support its application for permit to prosecute the project.

After passing the NSWMC, the final proposal will be forwarded to the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and other environmental requirements and to the Dept of Energy for the energy production and sale permits.

If all these requirements are satisfied, the project can proceed in the city, Concio said.

Concio said the investor is confident that if all the requirements are completed in time, the project can take off by the end of the year and can be fully implemented early next year.

The technology involves the processing of wastes for conversion into energy through a process called pyrolysis and will not involve incineration.

As proposed, the project will be at no cost to the city.  The investor will take charge of locating its own lot, constructing its building and other infrastructure and machineries.  It will oversee the entire operations and will also take over the collection of the wastes from the barangays.

The investor will recoup the investment cost through the sale of electricity it will generate which is pegged at 10-12 megawatts of power daily.  After ten years, the city stands to receive a share from the earnings.  The deal will be for 25 years.

Concio said the new technology, if approved, will solve the city’s waste and budgetary problem as the city will be relieved of the responsibility to collect the garbage and the current costly practice of hauling out wastes to other areas will be eliminated.