Waste to energy facility for up to 90,000 homes proposed in Quezon City

The government of Quezon City in the Philippines has accepted a proposal from a consortium led by infrastructure holding firm Metro Pacific to develop a solid waste-to-energy facility for the city.

Along with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), the consortium includes Covanta Energy LLC and Macquarie Group Ltd. They have obtained original proponent status for the planned project.

When completed, the integrated solid waste management facility will be capable of processing and converting up to 3,000 metric tonnes of the city’s municipal solid waste into 42 megawatts of renewable energy each day. That’s enough to power between 60,000 and 90,000 homes.

Other companies will be asked to submit alternative proposals for the project, but as the original proponents the MPIC led consortium will have the right to match the best terms.

“The volume of solid waste as a result of economic growth and urbanization has become a challenge for local governments to ensure effective and sustainable management of waste”, said Jose Ma. Lim, president and chief executive officer of MPIC, according to inquirer.net.

“An integrated solid waste management facility is a sustainable approach to society’s use of resources to reduce the amount of waste that must be placed in landfills for disposal while being environmentally responsive.”

Provided the consortium is awarded the project, development and construction will take around three to four years. The Quezon City government hopes the project will provide an environmental, sustainable, long term and world class waste management solution, eliminating the need for landfill and providing QC with a range of vital fiscal and socio-economic benefits.