Annisul eyes waste-based power plant

Dhaka North City Cor-poration (DNCC) mayor Annisul Huq has an ambitious plan to free city dwellers of roadside waste that stinks-and China promises technologies to achieve that, reports bdnews24.com.

He said on Saturday that he wants to build 'mid-stations' by January 1 next year so that waste collected from homes could be managed there before reaching the final landfill site.

Currently, small vans carry home waste and pile up at an open space before big cars collect them to dump at the landfill site on Dhaka suburbs. This process pollutes environment and creates foul smell. Dhaka city produces around 5,000 tonnes of garbage a day.

The Mayor was inaugurating the second international conference on 'Future of sustainable energy', an event of Chinese companies, said he would build 72 mid-stations where the waste would be managed before dumping to final landfills.

He said he had targeted to build those by January 1. "But it's not easy. We don't have lands."

He said the north city corporation has 36 wards and he would try to get a small piece of land from each ward.

"My priority has shifted to waste management and use of waste," the businessman turned politician said, "With the Dhaka waste, at least 100MW power can be generated." He said Chinese and Korean companies were approaching both him and his south city colleague Sayeed Khokan on these proposals.

Leading Chinese construction and investment company, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) Renewable Energy along with a Chinese photovoltaic company Solarland are jointly organising the conference on sustainable energy. Solarland is the leading seller of photovoltaic products in Bangladesh as solar energy is gaining popularity among poor Bangladeshis who remained out of grid power reach.

The conference, which is second of its kind, also introduces new partner companies who are willing to do business in Bangladesh.

The organiser introduced Guolian Huaguang Power Engineering Co. Ltd (GHPE), known for garbage-fired power plant in China, and KIPOR Power, generator based power system.

President of the CMEC Renewable Energy 'John' said they were expanding their businesses since the introduction of China's 'One Belt and One Road' strategy.

The idea of 'one belt and one road' is mainly based on the economy, on which Chinese companies not only sell their products outside, they also offer ideas and new solutions, he said.