The government has given the contract to convert municipal solid waste to energy in the Colombo metropolitan area to Western Power Company Ltd which has proposed incinerating the waste and generating power with a steam turbine, according to officials of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development.
“Western Power will go for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report through the Central Environment Authority to assess environmental impact of the proposed project,” Environmentalist, Western Region Megapolis Planning Project, Dr. I. Dissanayake told the Business Observer.
The project is considered a priority project, given the growing burden of disposing of municipal solid waste in Colombo, according to Lakshman Jayasekara, project Director/Team Leader, Western Region Megapolis Planning Project of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development. Western Power Company, a part of the Aitken Spence group, had proposed setting up the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) power generation project in the Kolonnawa area at Meethotamulla with the capacity to process around 700 tons per day (tpd) of MSW.
According to its original proposal, a 12 MW steam turbine generator unit will be installed for generating electricity from the gasification of waste and delivered to the national grid. The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will supply the solid waste to the project site.
Western Power Company has a 10 MW power purchase agreement with the Ceylon Electricity Board and says it expects to start construction work by next month and commission the plant by mid-2019.
Already, other companies have shown interest in buying the company which won the contract for converting municipal solid waste to energy, Jayasekara told the investment forum ‘Danish Days in Sri Lanka 2016’ organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and the Embassy of Denmark and the Confederation of Danish Industry.
“Now Sri Lankan companies are interested in buying the firm which won the contract. We’re creating the infrastructure market, a share market type buying and selling of these entities.” Municipal solid waste is currently being dumped in an open landfill, creating environmental pollution and prompting protests by residents of the area.
- CJ