The waste-to-energy project, to be implemented with Poland’s ODA loan of 50 million euro, will start in May at the Hteinpin garbage dump site if the Union Parliament gives the nod, said U Cho Tun Aung, Head of Environmental Conservation and Cleaning Department at the Yangon City Development Committee. 

“Currently, this proposal has been sent to the Union Parliament by the approval the economic committee and Yangon Region government. The department will have to reply to the questions raised by the MPs at the Union Parliament on 27 January. The project will last one year,” he added. 

The project plans to produce fuel, CNG gas, Carbon dioxide (CO2), liquid and fertilizer from 1,000 tons of wastes. The  will be implemented with Poland’s ODA loan of 50 million euro, at Hteinpin garbage dump site. The loan interest rate is 0.1 per cent, the grace period, five years and the repayment period, 62 years.

“More than 100 international companies discussed the implementation of waste-to-energy project. Until now, no company is able to implement it. The reason is they want to generate power from waste. The PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) is per unit price. They want the PPA ranged at least Ks 150-170. Under the current circumstances, Myanmar is not in a position to pay that amount. Myanmar can pay at least Ks 90. It is linked to the YCDC and the Ministry of Electricity. They demand the waste incineration. They ask for 22 US dollars per ton. The YCDC’s waste collection fee is relatively low, he continued. 

In addition, the YCDC is implementing the waste disposal technical aid project in Hteinpin garbage dump site with a fund of 5.5 million US dollars by the Japanese government. Plan is under way to implement a project which can incinerate 60 tons of wastes, in cooperation with Japan. 

More than 150 acres of garbage dump site were affected by the Hteinpin dump site fire in April, 2018. The people in Yangon suffered from smokes and some people with chronic diseases died.