Unique project

It was clear from the outset that Reppie was going to be a unique facility, says the consortium of the project, not just because of its location at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level, a level at which few WTE facilities of its size have ever been built, but more importantly because of the lower heat value and higher moisture content found in the waste stream.

The facility was designed by a firm with extensive experience in constructing facilities with similar waste conditions to Addis Ababa. The consortium also engaged CNEEC’S affiliate, China Urban Construction Design and Research Institute (CUCD). CUCD, China’s vastly experienced national design institute, has been responsible for designing dozens of such facilities across China, a country with a waste stream composition that is very similar to that found in Africa.

Insiders believe that the Reppie project is an important diversification of EPP’S renewable energy sources in Ethiopia. Ethiopia also realized that the technology is even more applicable to Africa where its rapid urbanization and economic growth are creating ever larger volumes of daily municipal waste, which its waste collection and disposal systems struggle to process.

Once operational, Reppie will be the first major WTE facility in Africa. The facility is expected to eliminate over 80 percent of the municipal solid waste delivered to the dump site, and at the same time maximize energy recovery, delivering much-needed power to the Ethiopian national grid.