Tshwane – The city is working on a plan to turn its trash into gas.
The municipality believes opportunities exist to design, construct and operate facilities at Tshwane’s landfill sites to convert the gas into energy as an alternative power source.
This ground-breaking initiative is linked to the city’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions and its environmental footprint through cleaner energy production.
Tshwane’s executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa made an announcement during the launch of the Tshwane International Trade Infrastructure and Investment Conference on Tuesday, and spoke of it during yesterday’s monthly council meeting.
The city’s mayoral spokesman, Blessing Manale, said seven landfill sites, including Kwaggasrand and Onderstepoort, had been identified to be used for the extraction of methane gas to produce compressed natural gas.
But householders will have to wait, Manale said. “The city currently does not have a gas rebate policy for households and will for now focus on gas for generation and industrial heating.”
The proposal is for a landfill-to-gas plant to reduce waste, create space in the facilities and reduce greenhouse gases, as well as generate revenue from the sale of gas.
Energy partners with the city will develop the landfill sites into gas-to-electricity projects on a build, own and operate basis.
The city is investigating the option of issuing green municipal bonds for possible introduction in the 2015/16 planning cycle.
The green initiatives include cleaner-powered fleet of Tshwane vehicles, rehabilitation of power stations, greening and beautification of neighbourhoods, sustainable urban food and energy production initiatives, landfill gas generation and bio-energy projects. The project aims to convert a fleet of 5 500 vehicles from being powered by petroleum to compressed natural gas.
A biodigester facility will be installed to generate biogas from wastewater treatment plants and landfill gas.
This will be converted into natural gas for fuelling A Re Yeng buses, Tshwane Bus Service fleet and trucks.
The project includes constructing gas fuelling stations for buses at depots, as well as procuring electric vehicles for the general Tshwane fleet.
“We will develop programmes to ensure sustainability practices, including socially responsible investment practices for businesses within the city to create a competitive advantage and thereby contributing to local economic development objectives,” Manale said.
“The pursuit of sustainable and clean cities or societies calls for not only a shift in attitudes and views about waste, but also a better and clearer understanding of modern methods of waste management; hence there is a need for waste-to-energy technological uptake.”
A 4.5 megawatt biomass Fired Renewable Energy plant will be established. The proposal will require the City of Tshwane to purchase the electricity generated at a cost between R0.84 and R1.06 per kilowatt-hour for power produced by the facility.
The facility will consume waste biomass at the rate of 4.8 tons an hour, generate 4.5 megawatt-hours of electricity and produce high grade biochar at the rate of about 720kg an hour. An estimated 96 jobs will be created.
A proposal has been made for the establishment of a Bio-waste Digester Energy Project at 15 of the City of Tshwane’s waste water facilities, generating an estimated 17.3 megawatts of electricity.
It is estimated that R9.4 billion will be invested in the project. The city will make available waste water and related facilities, sign an off-take agreement for the electricity generated for a minimum period for 15 years and sign a lease agreement.
The benefits from the project includes job creation, reduction of City of Tshwane’s diesel expenditure by about 50 percent, 350 aquaculture greenhouses to increase food production, and 14 000 green housing units for sustainable living conditions.