DOE grants P6 million to study Antamok for BLISST trash site

BAGUIO CITY –Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has sourced P6 million from the energy department needed by the Philippine National Oil Company–Renewables Corporation (PNOC-RC) for completion of ongoing feasibility study on utilization of a 29-hectare property of Benguet Corp. for the local government’s proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility to address solid waste disposal problems of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area.

PNOC-RC officials led by its president John Arenas told outgoing Baguio mayor Domogan latest developments on the ongoing feasibility study on the  property ceded by the country’s oldest mining company to Baguio to ascertain the suitable area for the proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility.

Domogan said the proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility, including an engineered sanitary landfill, a waste-to-energy plant, a centralized materials recovery facility, an anaerobic digester, a toxic and medical waste treatment plant, a special waste treatment plant and the operation of the Environmental Recycling System (ERS), will help stop the hauling of the city’s residual waste to the engineered sanitary landfill in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.

Earlier, BC ceded to the local government a total of 29.11 hectares from its existing properties in Antamok, Itogon which could be used for the establishment of an integrated solid waste disposal facility for a period of 25 years without any payment in return.

PNOC-RC previously entered into an agreement with the local government to pursue the conduct of a feasibility study for the proposed put up of the integrated solid waste disposal facility within the ceded property to ascertain which portion of the property will be suitable for the said purpose.

The PNOC-RC also entered into an agreement with the Benguet Electric Coop. which will purchase the renewable energy produced by the planned waste-to energy plant. -- Dexter A. See