In a sign that the biomass sector is growing in Africa, biomass power plant builder DP CleanTech has announced that it is teaming up with Cambridge Industries Ltd (CIL) to bring its advanced waste-to-energy technology to the vast continent.
The company said in a statement on Monday that projects are in the pipeline in several countries including Ethiopia, Djibouti, Senegal, Uganda and Kenya. Through CIL, DP CleanTech has secured its first project in the region to supply a turnkey waste-to-energy power plant for the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) in Addis Ababa.
CIL, which provides waste management services in Ethiopia, has earlier signed the US$120 million agreement with EEPCo.
Simon Parker, DP CleanTech CEO said the development of waste-to-energy has gained some traction in Africa. “The CIL partnership will enable us to advance the role that we believe waste and biomass have to play in the clean energy future of the continent,” he added.
The EEPCo biomass plant will be located adjacent to Ethiopia’s largest landfill site - the Reppie Landfill - and will process the garbage brought to the site to produce electricity. The project is part of the Ethiopian government’s Climate-Resilient Green Economy Strategy.
The biomass firm said it is set to deliver an engineering, procurement and construction contract soon, but did not disclose the cost of the project.
With strong presence in Europe and Asia, DP CleanTech said it uses an ‘all-dry flue gas’ treatment technology that meets EU-standard emission limits. Its technology was originally developed in Denmark.
“Using DP’s technology and their implementation expertise, this pioneering project in Africa will set new standards which we can deploy throughout the region,” Cambridge Industries’ Managing Partner Samuel Alemayehu said.
DP CleanTech said it will work on the Ethiopian landfill project in consortium with China National Electrical Engineering Corporation. The firm has built its first biomass plant in China and spearheaded the operations of over 30 per cent of the biomass plants in the country.
The firm also had completed 50 power plants since its inception in 2004 and is currently developing 30 more plants globally.
