DAVAO City is targeting to complete its proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) facility by 2028 or 2029, with the project expected to generate about 13 megawatts of electricity, Councilor Temujin Ocampo said on Friday, Oct. 2.
Speaking at Isyu Karon at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, Ocampo, who heads the committee on environment and natural resources, said the city continues to work with the Japanese government under their existing memorandum of agreement for the project.
The proposed facility will sit on an approximately nine-hectare site owned by the city. He added that the project is awaiting the Japanese side, particularly on the bidding process, before construction can begin.
“The facility is expected to have a gross generating capacity of about 13 megawatts, with roughly two megawatts for its own operations, leaving an estimated 11 megawatts for net output,” Ocampo said, adding that the project timeline depends on the procurement and construction process.
The City Council has also approved a P11-million bond related to the city’s participation in the Department of Energy’s auction mechanism for WTE facilities. The amount is equivalent to about P1 million per megawatt based on the facility’s projected 11-megawatt net output.
He described the bond as a participation guarantee that would allow the city to join the DOE’s special auction for WTE projects.
“If the city does not win or advance in the bidding, the bond would be refundable,” Ocampo said. “If the bid succeeds, the amount would become a performance bond tied to the project’s completion.”
Waste segregation needed
Ocampo emphasized that proper waste segregation will be essential once the WTE facility becomes operational since the plant would require suitable feedstock with adequate calorific value and a relatively dry and combustible composition. This means food waste, wet materials, and certain medical wastes should not simply be fed into the facility.
He emphasized that food waste may instead be composted or processed by specialized third-party facilities, while hospital waste must be treated separately by qualified facilities.
“The households should begin with basic segregation,” Ocampo said, encouraging everyone to separate recyclable materials such as cardboard, paper, and plastics so these can be recovered or sold rather than sent to disposal facilities.
Aside from reducing the volume of landfill waste, Ocampo said recovering recyclable materials could provide additional income for waste workers and waste pickers. Only waste that can no longer be reused, recycled, composted, or otherwise recovered should be sent for final disposal, he said.
Emissions to be monitored
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) are tasked with monitoring emissions from the proposed facility, specifically pollutants like dioxins and furans.
The councilor said continuous emissions monitoring systems used at other industrial facilities could serve as a model for the WTE plant, enabling regulators to identify potential emissions issues and require corrective measures.
As part of preparations for the project, Ocampo said city officials and their Japanese counterparts have visited WTE facilities in Japan and observed communities located near the plants.
He said the visits allowed the city’s officials and Japanese partners to examine existing facilities and nearby communities as they prepare for the proposed project.
Garbage collection remains operational
Meanwhile, Ocampo said Davao City’s garbage collection remains operational despite occasional delays as the city transitions to the New Carmen Landfill.
The city began using the new landfill beside the former disposal facility after environmental authorities directed the closure of the old site, he said.
Davao City generates an estimated 700 to 800 tons of waste daily, according to Ocampo. He said the city currently has sufficient capacity to manage its waste and does not need to transport garbage to other cities or provinces immediately.
The city has also acquired new garbage trucks and continues to work with private haulers, including contractors serving some private subdivisions.
Ocampo acknowledged that some collection delays may occur during the transition but said the city’s waste management office continues to address collection requirements. Ocampo also said stricter waste segregation would help reduce the volume of garbage reaching disposal facilities and extend their useful life.
