MANILA, Philippines—Publicly listed Basic Energy Corp. said it was considering waste-to-energy projects, with the first one likely to be a joint venture that will tap methane from the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill, outside Manila, as fuel.

In a regulatory filing, Basic Energy compliance officer Angel Gahol said the company was still on the research stage of its possible foray into the waste-to-energy sector.

“The company is targeting landfill and waste processing sites throughout the country, with estimated volumes that would be able to generate at least 5 megawatts of electricity,” Gahol said.

He said Basic Energy would conduct a site investigation of the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill, in preparation for an unsolicited proposal to be submitted to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, which owned the landfill.

The project would be implemented as a joint venture among Basic Energy, a South Korean technical company, a local construction firm and a local waste management specialist, he said.

As with Basic Energy’s planned ethanol plants, he said, the proposed waste-to-energy project is also being positioned as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project.

Under Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM allows investors in emission-reduction projects to generate “certified emission reductions” (CERs) equivalent to certain dollar amounts.

One CER is equivalent to an emission reduction of one ton of carbon dioxide.

Projects that can take advantage of the CDM include renewable energy such as wind, solar, biomass and hydro; fuel switching from fossil fuel to “green” fuel; energy efficiency measures; and co-generation in industries that have both steam and power requirements.

The Kyoto Protocol’s goal is to meet the quota for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2012.

Basic Energy is also planning to put up two ethanol plants with a combined annual capacity of 80 million liters.

These plants will be capable of processing multiple feed stocks.

For these planned ethanol plants, Basic Energy is considering three possible sites, one of which is its 200-hectare property in the Zamboanga Peninsula in the southern Philippines.

This plant will use cassava as feedstock, with the existing plantation seen expanding to 25,000 hectares in five years.