The Department of Energy (DOE) has received 14 offers from 12 firms interested in joining the special Green Energy Auction (GEA) for waste-to-energy (WTE) projects.
Companies that submitted bids include Green Atom Renewable Energy Corp., LECRA Eco Sustain Philippines Inc.; Manila Integrated Environmental Corp., San Mateo Sanitary Landfill and Development Corp. (which submitted two offers), and International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist Inc. (also with two offers).
MetPower Venture Partners Holdings Inc., Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc., Forza Development Corp., North Maharlika Energy Corp., the City Government of Davao, and two offers from Pan Pacific Renewable Power Phils. Corp. (PPRPC) are also interested in the WTE auction.
‘We already released the list of qualified GEA-WTE bidders last September 4. We have 14 projects and 11 qualified bidders. The pre-bid conference is on September 15, the auction proper is on October 13, and the issuance of the certificate of award will be from December 16 to 18,’ DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra said during an online press briefing held Monday.
The DOE adjusted the installation target capacity from 230 megawatts (MW) to 400 MW. However, this adjustment does not automatically translate into project awards. The DOE said projects must demonstrate ‘an adequate and sustainable waste supply, technical and financial capability, environmental compliance, competitive costs, and the ability to meet required development timelines.
As an emerging renewable energy (RE) technology, WTE project development is one of the country’s strategies to address solid waste management, mitigate floods, and provide additional clean energy.
Metro Manila alone generates an estimated 9,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste daily. Based on DOE estimates, the current waste stream in the metropolis could support around 200 MW of WTE capacity, subject to the availability and suitability of feedstock and other technical requirements.
The DOE said, however, that WTE is still subject to strict evaluation to ensure long-term viability and environmental safety.