Baguio eyes Benguet town as waste-to-energy site

By Gaby B. Keith March 24, 2021
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/03/24/news/regions/baguio-eyes-benguet-town-as-waste-to-energy-site/854669/

BAGUIO CITY: The city government will pursue the purchase of a private property in nearby Sablan town as permanent site for the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) facility and will cast aside its earlier plan to put up the same facility in Mount Santo Tomas because of financial issues.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong requested the city’s local finance committee to source out funds for the possible purchase of an 8,000-square meter property in Sablan town where the WTE plant can be established for the city government to have an income-generating project in the future.

He added that the proposed alternative site for the WTE plant in the city-owned property in Mount Santo Tomas has financial implications because of the terrain and the need to build an access road network leading to the area which would cost the city government an estimated P200 million based on projections by the City Engineering Office (CEO).

Mayor Magalong claimed that social acceptability preparation for the WTE project is currently being undertaken by the proponent as the same is part of the initial processes for the issuance of the required environmental compliance certificate (ECC) of the facility.

Metro Global Renewable Energy Corporation, proponent of the Sablan WTE project, recently presented the results of its pre-feasibility study they conducted with at least 500 tons of mixed waste that can be converted into more than 10 megawatts of renewable energy that can be sold to the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco).

The proponent will be using state-of-the-art technology that is environmentally-friendly with less emissions in the conversion of the mixed waste to quality renewable power while providing a permanent solution to the long overdue garbage disposal problem not only of the city government, but also the neighboring towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay (Listt).

The city has been locating suitable properties for this facility which is projected to be a permanent solution to the city’s ongoing garbage disposal woes.

Local governments have been mandated by law to close the operation of their open dumpsites and replace them with environmentally-friendly facilities for the protection of the environment and health of the people.