The city started working with the private proponent for the proposed put up of the multi-billion waste-to-energy project to be constructed within a portion of the city-owned property in the Sto. Tomas area.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong disclosed that the local government has already provided the proponent with the checklist of the requirements it has to comply with as required under the private-public partnership scheme.
He reported that the representatives of the private proponent have already been given the go-signal to conduct an inspection of the city-owned property to determine where to put up the energy facility to improve the city’s garbage disposal management.
The local government sees the put up of the waste-to-energy plant as a permanent solution to the city’s garbage disposal problem where the hauling of residual waste continues to be a temporary solution.
At present, the local government is hauling its residual waste to the engineered sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac that hosts the Metro Clark Waste Management Corporation.
Earlier, Metro Global Renewable Corporation proposed to put up a 10-megawatt waste-to-energy plant that is capable of converting to renewable energy some 500 tons of mixed waste generated in the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area.
Initially, this proposed plant was supposed to be built in Sablan but because of the alleged mixed signals from the municipal government, the proponent decided to forego the put up of the facility in the said municipality and return the same to the city if there will be a feasible site for the renewable power plant.
The proponent will be infusing more than P5 billion for the put up of the facility with the commitment of using the latest technology to convert garbage to renewable energy.
One of the sites earlier considered by the city government for the project was a portion of the 10-hectare property ceded by the agriculture department to the local government at the Baguio Dairy Farm but this was not pursued because of issues on the land, among other related concerns.
Under the proposed operating scheme for the project, Baguio City and the neighboring local governments will be providing the waste to feed the waste-to-energy plant while the company will infuse the resulting renewable energy to the grid that will increase the supply of renewable energy. (Photo courtesy by Joseph Manzano)