ACARP to build 10 megawatt waste-to-energy plant

by Stephen Odoi-Larbi

The authorities of the Accra Compost & Recycling Plant (ACARP) are considering the possibility of building a waste-to-energy plant facility at its Adjen-Kotoku premises that would generate about ten megawatts of electricity to supply to its surrounding communities.

The said project, which forms part of ongoing recycling projects at the company, is expected to materialise in a year’s time if funds become available, and barring any unforeseeable challenges.

A feasibility study on the new project, The Chronicle learned, has been concluded, but the only challenge suppressing the smooth take-off of the project is funding, which runs into millions of dollars.

The company, The Chronicle was told, was in talks with various funding agencies and the Government of Ghana to contribute towards the realisation of the waste-to-energy plant facility, since its benefits to the nation was enormous.

The ACARP, currently, under its phase one project, converts solid waste into compost to feed the local agricultural industry and beyond. This new initiative was confirmed by Eng. Owura K. Sarfo, Managing Director of ACARP, when the members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government visited the offices of the waste management company to abreast themselves with the level of progress made by the company in turning solid waste into compost last Wednesday.

“We have not yet built that facility, but it is something which is in the phase that we will embark on. We are right now having discussions with various funding agencies, including the government of Ghana, and once that is done, we expect that within the next nine months or one year, we will have that facility in place,” noted Eng. Sarfo.

According to him, the prospect of incinerating all the combustible items to drive the turbine that produces power was very high, and that they would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the project becomes a reality.

The ACARP, since its take off a few months ago, processes 300 tonnes of waste, the equivalent of three megawatts of power, when it moves to waste-to-energy production.

Eng. Sarfo, commenting further on the initiative, said his outfit was in the process of scaling up its activities to process 1,000 tonnes of waste that would be equivalent of ten megawatts of power. “When we process the 1,000 tonnes of waste, we will have an equivalent of ten megawatts of power, which can be used to serve the communities around,” he argued.

The ACARP is a registered Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project getting carbon credits for its operations.

The CDM covers about five percent of the company’s current cost build up.

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