PAKISTAN is exploring alternative indigenous resources for power generation that are cheaper and have enormous potential. The progress so far has not been encouraging.

However, some hopes are being raised by projects under implementation and initiatives under consideration of relevant authorities.

Of the two waste-to-energy projects, both of 12MW gross capacity each, which were approved by the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) in September/October 2010,the SSJD Bioenergy is currently in the advanced stage, and scheduled to go into operation by the first quarter of 2014.

The project located in Mirpurkhas (Sindh) will cost $19.82 million. Generation licence was issued by Nepra in June 2011, while feasibility report was approved by the AEDB in July 2011. The EPC contract has been signed with a Chinese company in November 2011, and Nepra has already determined the tariff.

The other project, Lumen Energia, is being developed in Jhang (Punjab) costing $22.62 million. Nepra issued the company the generation licence in February 2012, and has determined tariff as cents 12.92 per unit, levelised for a period of 30-years project life. The project was scheduled to achieve COD by December 2013, but has been delayed.

Both the projects are based on agricultural/biomass waste that includes sugarcane bagasse and trash, rice straw and husk, cotton waste and alike, and will use conventional steam power cycle technology.

Energy generated by these projects will be dispersed through local grids. Pakistan generates about 10 million tons of crops residue annually, which can be used as feedstock to generate 120-MW electricity. Lumen Energia has plans to install a series of five units of same capacity waste-to-energy plants in Punjab.

The other important waste that can be converted into energy is municipal non-hazardous solid waste. Pakistan generates some 56,000 tons of solid waste on a daily basis in urban areas only, which is increasing at the rate of 2.4 per cent annually. There are advanced waste-to-energy conversion technologies that have been proven commercially viable and sustainable, and recognised as renewable. Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) provides a primary source of alternate energy, as feedstock for waste-to-energy plants.

Currently, Fauji Cement Company operates a RDF processing plant of 12 tons per hour, using municipal solid waste of Islamabad/Rawalpindi for firing RDF in the kiln instead of coal. Also, a 500-tons capacity plant established in Lahore converts municipal waste into RDF for supplies to major cement plants.

Sadly, not a single waste-to-energy plant has come on stream as yet on commercial basis though feasibility studies for setting up waste-to-energy plants based on municipal solid waste were carried long ago out for installation in selected cities of Pakistan i.e. Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Sialkot, Peshawar and Quetta.

The first-ever project was launched in Peshawar in January 2005, on BOT basis, with a capacity of producing 4.8MW electricity.

The project, which was a joint venture of foreign investors with the provincial government, was wound up half the way in 2009.

Likewise, a waste-to-energy plant of 10-MW capacity was planned for construction in January 2009 in Karachi in collaboration with a US-based company, using 8,000 tons of municipal waste. There has been no progress. The city district government of Rawalpindi had approved in December 2009 a project of installing a RDF plant using 850-1,200 tons of municipal waste per day, under public-private partnership.

In March 2010 foreign investor under the name ‘Waste Management Pakistan Ltd’ was awarded the contract, getting 75 acres on long lease. The project, costing about euro 10 million, was scheduled for completion by February 2010 but meanwhile the government cancelled the contract.

Similarly, the Punjab government had pre-qualified in April 2010 three parties namely DG Khan Cement, Maple Leaf Cement and Habib Rafiq for setting up a RDF plant in Faisalabad. There is no further news, however. Now, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) plans to establish a waste-to-energy plant under private-public partnership modality, for which the CDA would be providing land and selling the waste.

Luckily, the international agencies have revived their interest recently. A World Bank funded project has been initiated by the AEDB for conducting study for establishing waste-to-energy projects in 20 cities.

Also, baseline surveys and demonstration projects have been launched by the UN-Habitat in Rawalpindi, Muzaffargarh and Khairpur, in collaboration with the International Environmental Technology Centre, which is a branch of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) mandated to promote environmentally sound technologies in developing countries with focus on waste management issues. Likewise, an RDF-based project of 5-10 MW capacity is proposed to be installed in Karachi, which is being funded by the US Trade Development Agency (USTDA).

Ever-increasing prices of fossil fuels have promoted waste-to-energy technology, which is fast becoming an increasingly important option for alternate power generation the world over. It has the potential to contribute largely to total energy mix in Pakistan as well, for on-grid as well as off-grid applications.

About 3,000 MW combined gross electricity can be generated using agricultural residue and municipal solid waste. There is, however, a need for the government to ensure timely implementation of all the waste-to-energy projects currently in pipeline to encourage additional investments in this area.