BAGUIO CITY – The local government and the proponent of the waste-to-energy project are setting their sights on the nearby town of Sablan, Benguet as the ultimate site for the proposed waste-to-energy project that will provide a permanent solution to the waste disposal problems of the different localities and produce clean energy for the Luzon grid.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong disclosed that concerned city officials, members of the Benguet provincial board, members of the Sablan municipal council and the proponent, Metro Global Renewables Corporation, recently met to discuss pertinent issues and concerns arising from the project and how to address the same to allow the realization of the put up of the environment-friendly facility.
He stated that majority members of the Sablan municipal council are reportedly in favor of the project that will be established in a private property in the municipality that will serve as the ultimate solution to the prevailing waste disposal problems of the various local governments in Baguio and Benguet.
The local chief executive added that even the private property owner is helping address the issues and concerns of the people, particularly the relocation areas for the households that will be affected, that is why there is a big possibility that the put up of the proposed waste-to-energy plant will be realized in the future.
According to him, the commitment of the local government is to provide more than 400 tons of feed stock for the waste-to-energy plant while other neighboring localities could also commit the appropriate volume of feed stock to be able to meet the 500 tons of garbage minimum supply for the plant to be able to produce the required 10 megawatts of clean energy that will be infused to the Luzon grid.
He claimed that the proponent will now work on the processing of the required Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the proposed waste-to-energy project to ensure that the put up of the facility will be able to start by next year to once and for all provide a permanent solution to the waste disposal problems of the different local governments due to the absence of available lands to accommodate an Engineered Sanitary Landfill (ESL).
At present, Baguio City and some local governments in Benguet are hauling out their generated residual waste to the sanitary landfill based in Capas, Tarlac through a commissioned private hauler.
The mayor stipulated that the local government was constrained to look for a private proponent for the proposed waste-to-energy plant after a Japan-based company that earlier proposed to put up the facility withdrew from the same because of the alleged absence of a suitable land area in the city that will host the plant.
The proponent is expected to work on the requirements that will pave the way for the put up of the waste-to-energy plant that will include the needed social accountability from the communities that will be affected once work on the facility will start. Metro Global Renewables Corporation was able to partner with a Scandinavian company that will provide the technology which will be used in the conversion of garbage to clean energy.
By Dexter A. See