The company Streamline Integrated Energy (SIE) has proposed to the Government to solve the serious environmental problem of the garbage of San Pedro de Macorís and other municipalities through the development of a solid waste utilization project by means of the installation of a processing plant that will use the municipal garbage to produce electric energy, being already a step away from starting the construction of the innovative environmentally friendly energy generating plant.
The project, whose main objective is to mitigate one of the biggest problems faced by all the municipalities in the country, would be the first infrastructure of its kind in the Dominican Republic, with advanced technology, being the most sophisticated in the region.
The company will manage a responsible waste management project, using modern technologies, proven internationally, and a public services scheme that would solve the problem of environmental contamination of the soil, subsoil, groundwater and coastal waters generated by the leachates produced when the rains come into contact
with the garbage dumped in the open air.
“For about seven years we have been promoting this project, which is environmentally sustainable and would be a support for the Dominican Republic to continue diversifying its electricity generation matrix and position itself as a pioneer in the region in implementing world-class infrastructure as a solution to the serious problem of the final disposal of garbage”, said engineer Mitchell Van Heyningen, an Aruban and descendant of San Pedro de Macorís, founder of SIE.
The businessman confirmed that he is working hand in hand with the current authorities to finally implement this first project for the correct management of urban solid waste in San Pedro and in other municipalities of the country.
Processing and generation capacity
The plant will have a capacity to process some 350 tons of solid waste per day and has an installed energy production capacity of up to 55 megawatts, and seeks to help meet the country’s energy needs.
The plant technology proposed for the country was designed by SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas S.A. based on the Zabalgarbi Waste-to-Energy plant in Bilbao, Spain, which has been in commercial operation since 2005. In addition, the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) services, as well as the boiler to be used in the plant, will be provided by the international company Babcock & Wilcox established in 1867. In other words, the DR will be benefiting from the support of internationally recognized companies that are leaders in the market for this type of technology.
In addition, the project includes the construction and operation of an impermeable sanitary landfill for the final disposal of the scarce mineral ash generated during the garbage combustion process, which would represent no more than 5% of the total volume of garbage entering the plant.
This means that the plant is capable of utilizing up to 95% of the energy and material content of the waste, most of it through the energy recovery process for conversion into energy, and the rest will enter a recycling process, including ferrous scrap and glass.
SIE, together with its strategic partners, understands that this proposal will not only attract foreign investment to this tourist area, but will also have a positive impact on the environment by building a mechanism that will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and prevent toxins from escaping into the subsoil and the atmosphere through fires, and will be a source of jobs for one of the provinces where the communities have fewer opportunities for development and growth.
From the pre-development of the project to its operation phase, the company will be an economically viable alternative to open dumps in the Caribbean and Latin America, which, in the case of the Dominican Republic, already total 350 dumps that affect the environment and public health.
Status of the project
Although construction of the plant was scheduled to begin more than a year ago, SIE is one step away from finalizing the power purchase agreement (PPA), which is the last remaining requirement for construction and subsequent operation. The company completed the process of obtaining the definitive concession for the “SPM-BASURA@ENERGIA” project granted by the National Energy Commission (CNE) in May 2020.
Source: Robertocavada.com
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