MPIC taps China firm for waste-to-energy project

Infrastructure holding firm Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is in talks with China Everbright Group, a leading player in China’s environmental protection industry, to undertake waste-to-energy projects in the Philippines.

MPIC—a part of an existing consortium that will convert the solid waste of Quezon City into 42 megawatts of renewable energy that can power up to 90,000 homes—wants to do more waste-to-energy projects in other parts of the country.

In a briefing, MPIC president Jose Ma. Lim said the group was looking to tie up with other local government units (LGUs), particularly in Cebu and North Luzon, to build similar waste-to-energy projects.

MPIC will have different partners in other waste-to-energy projects.

“The technologies being employed are different,” he said.

For a new project in Northern Luzon, Lim said: “We’re in discussions with a Chinese partner,” without naming the entity. He said the technology used by this prospective Chinese partner was suitable for this location.

Sources said that since late last year, China Everbright had been proposing to team up with MPIC on waste-to-energy ventures.

Sometime last year, representatives from China Everbright and Metro Pacific visited the Manila LGU to explore potential collaboration.

China Everbright is the first one-stop integrated environmental solution provider in China. It has a footprint in over 80 counties and cities across 17 provinces and municipalities in China, as well as in Germany, Poland, Vietnam and Singapore.