All set for city garbage-powered electricity project
Dandora dumpsite, the country’s biggest garbage disposal point. The stench and water pollution from the site hurt residents, many of whom have suffered from waterborne and respiratory diseases.
The Nairobi Management Services (NMS) and KenGen have a approved feasibility study that will pave the way for the establishment of a 45-megawatt garbage-powered electricity plant.
The plant will, however, be built in Ruai and not at the Dandora dumpsite as earlier planned.
This is after a court ordered in July last year that the Dandora dumpsite be relocated within six months.
KenGen said the proposal had already been submitted to the government through the Ministry of Energy, where it was undergoing review.
Once the proposal is approved, a deal signed by KenGen and NMS in 2020 will proceed to implementation stage.
Under the deal, KenGen said the NMS would provide land in within or around the Dandora dumpsite in addition to solid waste, while KenGen would finance, develop and operate the power plant.
The implementation of the project was, however, subject to approval of a feasibility study that was to take six months to prepare.
The study would set out both the viability and cost of the project, among other issues.
“KenGen and NMS have approved the feasibility study findings, giving a nod to the project. The proposal has been submitted to government through Ministry of Energy and is currently undergoing review for approval to implement the project and seek funding,” read a statement from KenGen.
The plant is expected to sustainably solve Nairobi’s garbage problem and at the same time create a new income stream for City Hall.
Further, it will also give KenGen – which has a 1,796.4MW annual capacity and supplies 75 per cent of the Kenya’s electricity – an opportunity to add to the country’s renewable energy pool as well as diversify its power sources.
KenGen currently generates power from hydro, thermal and geothermal sources.
Nairobi generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, which is transported to the main dumpsite in Dandora, Nairobi, approximately 10km from the city centre.
However, solid waste management has been a challenge for many years to the city county authorities.
The project was moved from the Dandora dumpsite following due diligence and concerns over aviation safe flight path requirement.
“After careful consideration and looking at several alternatives within the city of Nairobi and its environs, the joint team of NMS and KenGen settled on Ruai, at the Sewerage Treatment Plant,” added the statement.
The project will see Nairobi join the league of cities like Durban in South Africa, which generates electricity from garbage on a large scale courtesy of a plant developed by General Electric company. The US firm has previously held discussions with City Hall on a similar joint venture.
