Zimbabwe considers waste-to-energy plants

The Harare City Council in Zimbabwe is in talks with a local gas company, considering a joint venture to enable electricity to be generated from waste collected from nearby sewage works.

About $3 million (€2.28 million) will be needed to fund the project, which will take a year and a half to build.

One plant, called Firle, is expected to produce 2.5MW whilst the other, Crowborough, should generate 0.6MW.

However, the Firle sewage works was investigated last month and deemed unsafe as it was discovered its workers were not wearing adequate clothing to deal with the waste and were at risk of disease. It was also criticised for only treating half of all the waste that was sent to the sewage site.

However, if the proposed development does go ahead, anaerobic digesters will be used to turn the waste into power, and it is thought this is just the beginning of the council’s plans for a more energy efficient capital.

The council is also in talk with the Infinate Energy Zimbabwe company to take biogas from the Golden Quarry and Pomona landfills that are situated close to the capital.