Baguio City will put up its own waste-to-energy plant to solve the city’s garbage disposal problem and provide cheap and renewable energy.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said that the waste-to-energy plant will no longer be established in the nearby Sablan town because of the alleged mix signals they had received from the municipal officials. He said the city will be asking the proponents of the project the option to identify the feasible portion of the city-owned property in Sto. Tomas where the plant could be constructed.
The project will also be jointly implemented by the state-owned Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC-RC) and the local government, said the local chief executive.
He added that the 139-hectare city-owned property in Sto.Tomas will be inspected to secure the site of the facility as a proponent and to see its feasibility for construction.
One of the crucial proponents for the waste-to-energy plant that will be able to convert at least 10 tons of waste into energy is the Sobrepeña-owned Metro Renewable Corporation.
City administrator Bonifacio dela Pena disclosed that the construction of the road network leading to the facility is highly costly, and that it will have to shoulder its development costs to properly fulfill the project.
Officials in Baguio have seen this project as the best solution to solve the city’s garbage disposal problem, in which they would have to haul garbage non-stop from the landfill in Capas, Tarlac, which has eaten up much of the budget of the local government, and to finally reduce the cost of power for the residents of the city. – Joshua Babasa