FROM GARBAGE TO POWER
In a bid to provide a solution to the garbage crisis, while also contributing 20MW to the national grid, the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development would begin the construction of two waste-toenergy (Incineration) plants in Muthurajawela, official said.
The projects, which are to bring in a combined investment of USD 182 million, will ceremonially launched in the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena, Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils Faiszer Mustapha and Western Province Chief Minister Isuru Devapriya today.
The Public-private Partnership (PPP) projects will be allocated 10 acre blocks of land each near the Muthurajawela refinery on a 30-year lease.
UDA Director (Project Management) Prasad Ranaweera said that the building work of only two of the three incinerators planned by Ministry would be launched today.
“One plant will have a capacity of incinerating 700 metric tonnes of garbage collected by the Colombo Municipality, while the other will have a capacity of incinerating 630 metric tonnes from Gampaha while the third incineration plant, which will be constructed in Karadiyana, will have a capacity of incinerating 500 metric tonnes of garbage,” he said.
“The first phase of the project will contribute 20MW of power to the national grid, while the third project, which we will begin construction soon in Karadiyana, will contribute an additional 10 MW to the national grid later,” he said.
The construction of the two plants is scheduled to be completed within two years, but the private parties will be provided a relief if they were to complete construction ahead of schedule, Ranaweera said.
Experts from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the Central Environmental Authority, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) , Moratuwa and Colombo University were part of the tender process, which chose the private parties that would construct the incineration plants.
“The main aim of this project is to reclaim valuable land that is used for dumping garbage for development, while also establishing garbage as a resource to generate electricity. The Government will purchase a unit of electricity produced by the plants at Rs. 37.10,” Ranaweera said.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror previously, officials said that agreements were being drawn up for Local Government authorities to deliver the garbage collected to the incineration plant each day.
While, the plants are being constructed, solid waste collected in Colombo and other areas would be disposed of in the sanitary land filling that is being established in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam as well as the waste management park established by the SLLRDC in Muthurajawela.
“The park will have different areas allocated to dispose of specific types of waste such as compost, hospital waste and construction waste. Additionally the compost site at Kerawalapitiya will be used until the Muthurajawela and Aruwakkalu sites are set up,” an official said.
The sanitary land filling in Aruwakkalu would later be used as a dumping site for ash produced by the plants after incineration.
One plant will have a capacity of incinerating 700 metric tonnes of garbage while the other will have a capacity of incinerating 630 metric tonnes from Gampaha while the third incineration plant, which will be constructed in Karadiyana, will have a capacity of incinerating 500 metric tonnes of garbage The park will have different areas allocated to dispose of specific types of waste such as compost, hospital waste and construction waste. Additionally the compost site at Kerawalapitiya will be used until the Muthurajawela and Aruwakkalu sites are set up...