The company, that will build, own and operate, the Waste-to-Energy Plant, that is proposed for the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill, behind, Eccles, East Bank Demerara, could get Cabinet’s go-ahead, as early as the next two weeks.
Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan in a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA) revealed that within the next two weeks, the Ministry in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure is set to take before Cabinet, “the papers that will allow for the signing of the contract, for the firm, to build, own and operate the facility.”
Bulkan told GINA that the company that has been selected “brings the technology, as well as the investment to utilise the solid waste that is delivered there (at Haags Bosch) and to dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner, (that is, using it to produce electricity).”
GINA said that the Minister noted that, “We (Government) inherited as a result of the dysfunctional system of local government a very ineffective system for solid waste management, the most visible of these is the Haags Bosch.” He said that what should have been a sanitary land fill, “regrettably and unfortunately” was not managed as such, and “there were many deficiencies.”
When the Waste to Energy Plant at Haags Bosch actually comes into operation, Bulkan said, “I will personally take great pride, and I would see that as a signal achievement of central government on the part of the Ministry of Communities; the role that we have played in fast-tracking and bringing that to fruition.”
After the completion of the facility at Haags Bosch, the Ministry will look to replicate the effort in other communities across the country, the Minister told GINA.
The Ministry of Communities, as part of its responsibility for integrated solid waste management, in February, had invited suitable firms, for construction of a Waste to Energy Plant. The invitation stated that the facility would be operated under a Build-Own-Operate structure at the existing Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill, and it would utilise some 350 tonnes per day of municipal solid waste to generate electricity, that would in turn be sold.
Several proposals were received by way of the public tender, for the project. These were evaluated and a suitable firm selected.
