Electricity from municipal wastes
Electric power generation from solid urban municipal wastes is a proven technology, already such power plants are operating in EU. This available and easily exploitable fuel source is sufficiently present in our cities of Dhaka and Chittagong. The quantity of such waste is adequate in these two cities for utilisation as fuel for power generation. Some times back in '05 or '06, a private sector waste collecting and composting company gave a proposal to this effect to the Dhaka City Corporation, where the proposal possibly died its natural death, maybe for lack of sufficient incentive to the right place!
I would sincerely implore upon the CTG to take up this matter with urgency and immediately revive this innovative proposal. I believe that a French organisation which operates similar plants also showed its interest, but gave up facing the Bureaucratic Wall of Dhaka (our Berlin Wall!).
Cost of fuel, the major operating cost component for power generation in this case, is the cost of collecting and sorting of solid municipal wastes.
It will also provide gainful employment to many unskilled people!
Whatever power that can be produced, should be welcome; as the fuel source is basically free; and the quantity of fuel available will go on increasing with the growth of urban population. This is just reverse of geological resources; which go on decreasing usually!
I would earnestly request our government to take up this matter with seriousness and determination, so that the proposal sees the light of the day and is set on track before December 2008. Even if the capital cost for the plant per KW may be higher; the operating cost is bound to be lower, and its economic benefit for the poor unemployed people coming into productive activity will create wealth generation at the appropriate level.
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