MCWC, G.E. in talks over biomass project

Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. (MCWC), a locator at the Clark ecozone, has started talks with G.E. of Thailand and other potential strategic partners who can use its materials to generate electricity.

Company sources told the Inquirer that G.E. of Thailand’s power and energy division has a tried and tested technology for what MCWC wants. MCWC, which helps industries and municipalities in Central Luzon manage their waste via landfills, is “actively looking for a biomass or co-generation partner.”

Sources said foreign and local partners were welcome as long as they have the technology.

“We are exploring G.E. of Thailand. But we have also started talking to an American firm and one from Korea,” a source said.

MCWC accepts domestic and industrial waste.

The company’s potential biomass or co-generation partner can use this and also rice husks, corn leaves and cobs, sugarcane waste, and wood chips.

As for financing the project, sources said banks were ready to finance such projects, especially with the drive for clean and renewable energy.

This, even though the Ethanol Producers Association of the Philippines has said some small producers need assistance to get projects off the ground.

The company takes in 500 to 800 tons of waste monthly and places these in lined landfills to prevent seepage into ground water.

About 6 to 7 tons of waste are generated daily in towns and municipalities in Central Luzon, which means there is much potential for waste-to-energy projects.

MCWC is a locator at the Clark ecozone, which extends from Angeles to Mabalacat in Pampanga and to Capas as well as parts of Tarlac City, Tarlac.

Biomass is one of the technologies for which power producers can get guaranteed electricity production rates under the feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme that was crafted to spur the development of green power sources.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) 750-megawatt installation target under FIT is divided among biomass (250 megawatts), run-of-river hydro (250 megawatts), wind (200 megawatts) and solar (50 megawatts).

Once the threshold for each renewable energy source is reached, the DOE and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will hold a review for the next batch of FIT rates and installation cap.

Renewable energy projects would have to be commissioned first before the Department of Energy (DOE) endorses them to the ERC for FIT eligibility.