Naga plans to allot P1B for waste-to-energy project

By Mark A. Gomez

The Naga City government is planning to allocate over P 1 billion budget for a waste-to-energy (WTE) project next year 2023.

Engr. Joel P. Martin, Solid Waste Management Office (SWMO) chief, on Feb. 11 said the proposed budget of P 1 billion is intended for the construction of the WTE facility, procurement of equipment, compliance permits, and other expenses needed in the completion and operation of the project.

He said residents of the city and adjacent towns would benefit for the WTE project in terms of employment, lower electricity cost and waste piling.

According to Martin, in order to convert waste material into energy, it will go through pyrolysis, a process which will burn all waste material till it became heat energy and from heat energy it will be converted into electricity.

He said that the pyrolysis process is safe and not harmful to the environment and it will surely not violate the Clean Air Act.

Martin said the proposed two-hectare site of the WTE facility is at Barangay San Isidro. Expected to start in 2023, the project will take two years to finish.

The WTE project is one of the solutions of city government to address the increasing volume of garbage in the city, which at present averages 96 tons/day compared to 43 tons/day in 2020.

Martin foresees the volume of garbage in the city to increase in the next few years. Without the WTE project, our present sanitary landfill would be full in three to five years time.

He assured the public that the WTE project will be safe as all necessary permits and safeguards would be complied with before it is implemented.

With the operation of the WTE facility, the city government would allow neighboring towns to dispose their garbage in the San Isidro Sanitary Landfill as the facility needs more wastes to convert into energy.

Martin said that once the WTE facility is realized, Naga City will be the first power producing local government in the Bicol region and even in the country.