BY ELIZABETH EQUBAY – Ethiopia has started production of 25 Megawatts of energy from waste at one of its first waste to energy convertor plant located in Addis Ababa. Reppie waste-to-energy project, which was planned to generate 50 megawatts initially, is built at the cost of $95 million.
The project area covers 37 hectares of land is set for inauguration on Sunday, according to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
The project has linked environmental protection with generation of renewable energy for the country and process around 350,000 tons of waste annually, according to EEP External Relations Director Misikir Negash
In waste-to-energy incineration plants, rubbish is burned in a combustion chamber and the resulting heat is used to boil water until it turns to steam, which drives a turbine generator that produces electricity.
The facility is expected to produce 185GWH of electricity annually that will be siphoned to the Ethiopian national grid and will incinerate over 1,400 tons of waste every day.
Africa’s first ever waste to energy facility, the first of its kind commenced full construction in Addis Ababa in September 2014.
The project is jointly constructed by Cambridge Industries Ltd (CIL) and its partner China National Electric Engineering Co. (CNEEC). The project, which is located in Kolefe Keranio Sub-city, provides employment opportunities for 1,300 employees and has been instrumental in promoting skill transfer in the sector.
Reppie Waste-to-Energy in Ethiopia will support in reducing poverty conditions through increasing access to electricity, creating jobs and improving the environment to the benefit of human health, thus it will serve as a model for other countries in the region, and around the world.
For more than five decades, the Reppie dump site has been the only landfill in Addis Ababa.
It was recalled that last year a landslide on the dump site killed 114 people, prompting the government to proclaim three days of mourning.