DENR sees rollout of waste-to-energy projects in Philippine cities next year

DENR sees rollout of waste-to-energy projects in Philippine cities next
year

A Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) undersecretary on
Monday said the Philippines and Japan are strengthening their
waste-to-energy (WTE) cooperation, and are eyeing Quezon and Davao cities as
potential pilot sites.

"The government of Japan is very much willing to assist us in addressing our
garbage problem through waste-to-energy," DENR Undersecretary for
International Affairs and Foreign-Assisted Projects Jonas R. Leones said.

The collaboration between the two nations on WTE projects, the DENR official
added, is likely to roll out next year in the two key cities, and will
likely increase by eight more within the same year.

"The dialogue among the Philippines [and the] DENR and Japan Ministry of
Environment is a continuing process," he said. "By next year, we hope to
set the projects in Quezon City and Davao City rolling," he added.

Dialogues

Leones had met with officials from Japan's Ministry of Environment, led by
Shigemoto Kajihara, vice minister for global environmental affairs, on
Monday to strengthen strategic partnership between the two countries on
waste management, especially on WtE.

Leaders of civil-society organizations opposed to incinerator use and
officials from the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines attended the
dialogue, the second between the Philippines and Japan on WTE.

Energy from waste is in line with President Duterte's plan to address the
looming garbage crisis in the Philippines, consistent with the DENR and
National Solid Waste Management Commission's (NSWMC) plan to promote WTE
using advanced technologies that hurdle environmental standards.

"There's already a guideline on WTE. Not all incinerations are prohibited by
law," Leones said, stressing there are incineration technologies that comply
with dioxin emissions standard.

"Right now, we are applying a World Health Organization guideline. Unlike
before, we are not capable of measuring and monitoring dioxins and other
toxic substances from incinerations. During my watch as EMB [Environmental
Management Bureau] director, we worked on it, that's why we now have the
capacity to measure dioxins and other toxic substances," he added.

Duterte visited Japan last month, and brought home 12 major Japanese
investments worth P89.73 billion. These investments are expected to generate
250,000 jobs for Filipinos.

The first environment dialogue on waste management between the Philippines
and Japan was held in October last year, wherein both countries agreed to
identify model areas to promote cooperation between Manila and Tokyo on
waste management.

Since then, joint workshops on waste management between two countries to
deepen understanding of current situation of waste-management practices in
the two countries were held.

The two also successfully provided support for the drafting of the WTE
guideline, wherein the Philippine and Japanese experts were among the
consultants.

During Monday's dialogue, the Ministry of Environment of Japan proposed to
provide a comprehensive support, with Quezon City and Davao City as model
cities for WTE, together with Osaka and Kitachushu, through a "sisterhood"
pact.

Waste-disposal plan

In Quezon City, particularly the Payatas dump, the plan is to convert 1,200
tons/day (t/d) of waste into energy equivalent to 25 megawatts (MW) of
electricity

The WTE project in Quezon City will be supported by Osaka, Japan, in
partnership with Hitachi Zosen Corp. and Ex Research Institute Ltd.

On the other hand, in Davao City, the plan is to convert 600t/d to produce
11.7 MW. It will be supported by Kitayushu City, in partnership with Nippon
Steel and Sumkin Engineeering Co. Ltd.

To recall, the NSWMC, led by its secretariat's Executive Director Ely
Ildefonso, bared that potential investors from European countries, South
Korea, Japan, Australia, the United States and China are now looking at the
Philippines for possible WTE ventures.

This came after NSWMC approved last year the WTE guideline that would allow
the use of appropriate technologies that would convert waste into viable
energy, Ildefonso said.

GHG-emission control

According to Ildefonso, WTE aims to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by garbage in open dumps by converting them into energy.

The guideline adopting any technology that can convert WTE will be allowed
with certain standard, and abiding with existing laws.

According to Ildefonso, WtE technologies do not also necessarily involve
incineration.

He said WTE technologies would reduce the country's GHG emission while
effectively reducing up to 95 percent the volume of waste produced every
day.

In Central Luzon agricultural waste from sugarcane could be disposed of
through gasification. There are now two WTE plants in Central Luzon.

Among the WTE technologies allowed under the guideline are gasification,
gyrolysis, bioreactor, biomethanation, hydrolysis, pyrolytic-gasification,
plasma and other thermal processes.

These technologies do not use incinerators. There are a number of WTE
technologies that the private sector wanting to do business in the
Philippines can adopt to reduce GHG and convert garbage into energy,
Ildefonso said.

The country produces around 40,000 tons of garbage every day, or 14.6
million tons in a year, 70 percent of which are household waste.

These waste end up in open dumps, the operation of which is prohibited under
RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. There are still more
than 300 open dumps in various parts of the country, which the government
need to shut down.

Last year the NSWMC, in partnership with the Office of the Ombudsman,
started filing cases against local officials who fail to shut down open
dumps in their respective jurisdiction.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/denr-sees-rollout-of-waste-to-energy-projec
ts-in-philippine-cities-next-year/

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com