LAHORE: The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has decided to revive the years-old waste-derived coal manufacturing project after the firm, with which the contract was signed back in 2011 in this regard, approached the authorities concerned with a request to ensure provision of moisture-free waste to its Refuse Derived Fuel Plant at Lakhodair — Lahore’s main waste dumping site.

The LWMC, following a meeting with the firm management, has directed the officers concerned to start supplying moisture-free waste to it (the firm), enabling it to make fuel through its plant’s combustible portion,” Local Government and Community Development Department Secretary retired Capt Noorul Amin Mengal told Dawn on Sunday. “We are taking this issue very seriously since we have already resolved various matters pertaining to primary solid waste collection, disposal etc,” said Mr Mengal.

He said the waste-to-fuel contract had been signed with a leading private firm (DG Cement) in 2011. But due to moisturised content, the project couldn’t work as envisaged. “The firm had been without work since long as no one bothered to resolve the issues it has been facing. However, after we took over the company affairs, the firm requested us to ensure implementation of the contract,” he explained.

According to the LWMC Managing Director Ms Rafia Haider, the company would provide 1,000 tonnes of waste per day to the firm for waste-to-energy purpose, which will also help reduce waste at the landfill site.

“The plant’s combustible portion can make fuel through waste consumption. The contract was signed in 2011, but the high-moisture content [supplied to the firm] in previous years had halted the work. Fresh efforts are underway these days for restarting proper disposal of waste and its utilisation for making fuel,” Ms Haider said when contacted.

On the other hand, the LWMC has also started making efforts to implement its old plan of waste-to-power generation project lying pending since long. “Many companies, including some European and Chinese firms, have approached us and expressed their interest in this project. Ravi Urban development Authority (RUDA) too has approached us to avail this opportunity,” Ms Haider said.

The MD said that she had told all the interested parties about availability of the land required for installation of the waste-to-energy power plant. “We have also requested the interested parties to come up with viable proposals in this regard,” she added.

In August, 2018, the then Punjab government had asked the LWMC to quickly complete the legal procedures required ahead of civil work of Pakistan’s first 40MW waste-to-energy project to be launched by a Chinese consortium at Lakhodair.

Following the government’s instructions, the company finalised two major agreements (first for handover of over 25-acre land at Lakhodair and the second for supply of 2,000 tonnes of waste for power generation. In July 2018, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had also granted power generation licence to Lahore Xingshong Renewable Energy Company Ltd for setting up the 40MW waste-to-energy plant at Lakhodair (Lahore) at an upfront tariff of about 10 cents per unit.

Similarly, both the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) and the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) had also approved the study to connect the project with the national grid. The Punjab environment department too had issued a no objection certificate (NOC) in July 2018 for launching the project.

Under the plan, the civil work of project was to be launched in 2019 after completion of electric, mechanical works etc within a period of two years by April 2021. But the project reportedly could not materialise due to various administrative and functional issues surfacing at a later stage.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2021