Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has said Zimbabwe is strengthening waste management through sustainable solutions informed by international best practices to tackle persistent refuse collection challenges.
He said this yesterday after witnessing the signing of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract between Geo Pomona Waste Management and Chinese firm Zhejiang Wei
Ming Group Ltd for the waste management firm’s envisaged waste-to-energy plant, at State House in Harare.
Special Advisor to the President on Waste Management and Environmental Sustainability Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, who is also Geo Pomona’s executive Chairman and chief executive officer, signed the
EPC together with Zhejiang Wei Ming Group Ltd’s Chairman Chen Ge.
In his brief remarks at the signing ceremony, President Mnangagwa said he was satisfied with Zimbabwe’s progress in championing waste-management solutions and pointed to the Geo Pomona
Waste Management facility as a key project expected to derive value, such as electricity from waste.
“It is a very serious issue and I am happy we are dealing with this task and we are managing it very well,” he said.
Once completed, Geo Pomona Waste Management’s waste-to-energy plant will produce between 16MW and 22MW that will feed into the national grid.
Energy and Power Development Minister July Moyo outlined the technical aspects of the project.
“It is designed to produce 22 megawatts of electricity from refuse. So you start with refuse collection; you have a sorting house to sort those materials that are degradable, and) those will be fed into the power plant and the power plant will now produce gas and that gas will be turned into electricity.
“You are tackling refuse collection, which is happening, and) there is water also that is seeping into that area, and it is being treated and it is being used to run the plant,” he said.
Minister Moyo commended Geo Pomona Waste Management for turning around the fortunes of the former dumpsite, which was a health hazard.
The plant houses garbage collection facilities including encapsulation, landfills, a water treatment plant and a sorting station.
There are also world-class recreational facilities including a restaurant, FIFA-certified football pitch and basketball courts.
“So we have cleaned the city by this project and it has taken some time to reach this last mile of producing electricity,” he said.
Minister Moyo expressed confidence in the Chinese firm that signed the EPC contract with Geo Pomona, saying it was well versed in the industry.
“It (Zhejiang Wei Ming Group Ltd) has been doing the same thing in China to clean the cities and produce electricity from refuse.
“Everyone is now participating in producing electricity through their refuse, which is from their homes,” he said.
On his part, Dr Nguwaya said work on the construction of the waste-to-energy plant would commence this month.
“It’s going to take 18 months to complete and then produce electricity to feed into the national grid”.
Dr Nguwaya said he is committed to championing international best practices and being a trendsetter in waste management, both in the SADC region and beyond.
“This is the first project of its kind in Zimbabwe and in Southern Africa. By doing so, we are putting Zimbabwe on the map in terms of proper waste management,” he said.
The Waste-to-Energy Plant is expected to reduce landfill pressure, generate clean electricity, and create jobs, while promoting a cleaner and healthier Harare.
The project is a key step towards achieving Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 2 targets on sustainable urban development, environmental management, and energy security.
“As you are aware, in 2022, GEO Pomona Waste Management signed a concession agreement, a 30-year concession agreement with the City of Harare for waste management. So, we are talking about a range of waste that is going to be separated. It’s a project component with various infrastructures that are going to be constructed. So, we started with the encapsulation, landfills, water treatment plant and sorting plant. Now, this is the last leg of waste management: this waste handling plant. It’s going to produce 16 to 22 megawatts of electricity, and it will be fed to the national grid. The work is going to commence this month. It’s going to take 18 months. The final position we are going to produce electricity to feed the national grid,” Dr Nguwaya said.
Zhejiang Wei Ming Group Ltd Chairman Mr Chen said they had been in the waste-to-energy industry for more than 30 years, so the Chinese firm was up to the task.
He said they would pull all the stops to ensure the waste-to-energy plant is properly constructed.
“The key (to success) in this industry is skills and management, so we will make sure that this project is done well and is well constructed,” he said.
