Bahrain: Plans ongoing to generate electricity from waste
Experts say that most solid waste goes to landfills/water bodies, causing pollution with methane and CO2. It is at this juncture that waste-to-energy conversion gains more attention. Bahrain, on the constant lookout for getting rid of piling waste, has already set its eyes on this opportunity.
The latest news is that authorities here are planning to generate electricity from garbage. The idea, according to a tender launched by the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, is to create a treatment plan that could handle 1,306,510 tonnes of waste per annum.
Not to mention the intended output, which is electricity. Electricity generated will be fed to the national grid through a power purchase agreement. Works Ministry tender says the plant thus designed will have a minimum operating period of 25 years.
The bidders will be required to develop a solution for managing the output materials, including incinerator bottom ash, flue gas and recyclable materials. The prequalification questionnaire launched on Thursday calls for applicants interested in acting as a developer for the project.
The tender also allows forming a developer consortium to participate in the Waste Treatment Project with incineration in Bahrain. A recent Tribune report has drawn the attention of authorities to a study by EcoMena pointing fingers at the immense water crisis the country is facing, where only 13% of the waste generated is recyclable.
The study has ranked Bahrain as one of the highest per capita waste generators, where a per person per day created an estimated 1.67 to 1.80 kg of waste. This means the Kingdom produces more than 1.3 million tonnes of waste yearly, while daily garbage production exceeds 4,500 tonnes.
