The City of Ekurhuleni’s plan to generate electricity through alternative technologies is well underway.
Currently, the city is rolling out public participation sessions for members of the public to comment and provide input on the appointment of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) who will be contracted to the city for a period of 20 years.
These IPPs are expected to generate around 1500 megawatts through alternative technologies.
The project will create 400 job opportunities and skills development for the locals. Ekurhuleni is home to five landfill sites, with 1.8 up to 2 million tons of waste disposed per annum. The lifespan of the city’s landfill sites has just over 40 years remaining.
Rooikraal Landfill Site situated in Dawn Park, Boksburg, has been identified as one of the facilities that will be used by the IPPs to house the waste-to-energy generating plant. The facility disposes 800 tons of waste per day which can be converted into energy thus producing 20 megawatts per day.
There are other similar projects planned for municipal landfill sites such as Simmer and Jack and Weltervreden in the near future.
The next phase of the project is to finalise the capital funding, conclude the 20-year land lease agreement through the Real Estate Department.
The appointed IPPs assisted by the city through the department of environmental resource management and waste services will conduct the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, and also do feasibility studies in terms of the types of waste being disposed and waste logistics at the facility.
The electricity grid integration studies will then be conducted.
MMC for Energy Mzayifani Ngwenya met with one IPP, FullSwing, together with their funders and technology partner, China Harbour Engineering Company, at the Boksburg Customer Care Centre on April 25 to deliberate in detail on the key project components that will bring the project to life.
