German investor eyes waste-to-energy project

A German investor has expressed keen interest in partnering Harare City Council in a waste-to-energy deal at Pomona dumpsite, a move likely to reduce the city’s electricity bill.

More than three million people in Harare Metropolitan province spent two days with dry taps recently after Zesa Holdings switched off power to Harare’s water treatment plants over a $1,3 billion debt.

Speaking during a recent meeting between Geogenix BV and council officials, Harare’s business committee chairperson councillor Tichaona Mhetu said the deal would also be ideal in curbing pollution.

“This partnership which we sought is going a long way in addressing the refuse issue which has been challenging for quite a long time. Waste energy is the way to go and actually what we all need at the moment.

“The coming in of smart energy is now prevalent everywhere and this is the route which we think as a city, we can take. We need to have mutual benefit from this arrangement,” he said.

Geogenix BV representative Mr Mauro Bianchi said going green was the way to go.

“Green is a key word for the future. This is going to be a big impact project which we believe will be a triumph on your city,” said

Council’s acting works director Engineer Norman Karidza said Harare was currently weighing the benefits it would derive from the project.

“It is still at proposal stage but in a few months, we will be looking at feasibility studies at the Pomona dumpsite which will be engineered.

“The project is expected to run for five years and at the beginning of the third or fourth year, there will be electricity generation. We still have to look at the costs and benefits to the city,” he said.

According to the deal, infrastructure such as roads and drainage systems would also be attended to.

In recent years, residents in the Pomona area have been raising concern over continued air pollution emanating from the dumpsite.

The site was opened at an old municipal quarry after a former landfill near Mbare was closed.

The idea was to fill the large hole created by the quarry but the dumpsite continued to be in use long after compacted garbage reached the old surface level.-herald.cl.zw