Davao City is eyeing the completion of its proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) facility by 2028 or 2029, with the plant projected to generate about 13 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the city’s waste.
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said Friday the city is continuing discussions with the Japanese government under an existing memorandum of agreement for the project.
Ocampo, speaking at Isyu Karon at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, said the proposed facility will occupy about nine hectares of city-provided land. Construction will proceed once the Japanese side completes the bidding process.
The plant is expected to have a gross generating capacity of about 13 MW, of which around 2 MW would be used to power its own operations, leaving an estimated 11 MW for net output.
“The facility is expected to have a gross generating capacity of about 13 megawatts, with roughly 2 megawatts for its own operations, leaving an estimated 11 megawatts for net output,” Ocampo said.
He said the project timeline will largely depend on the procurement and construction process.
The City Council has also approved an P11-million bond for the city’s planned participation in the Department of Energy’s auction mechanism for WTE facilities.
Ocampo said the amount is equivalent to about P1 million per MW based on the projected 11-MW net output.
“If the city does not win or advance in the bidding, the bond would be refundable. If the bid succeeds, the amount would become a performance bond tied to the project’s completion,” he said.
Waste segregation
Ocampo stressed that proper waste segregation will be critical to the WTE facility’s operation.
The plant will require appropriate feedstock with sufficient calorific value and a relatively dry and combustible composition. Food waste, wet materials and certain medical wastes, he said, should be treated separately.
Food waste may be composted or processed by specialized facilities, while hospital waste must be handled by qualified treatment facilities.
“The households should begin with basic segregation,” Ocampo said.
He encouraged residents to separate recyclable materials such as cardboard, paper and plastics for recovery or sale.
Aside from reducing the volume of waste sent to disposal facilities, he said recycling could provide additional income for waste workers and waste pickers.
Emissions monitoring
Ocampo said the city will coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to monitor emissions from the proposed WTE plant, particularly dioxins and furans.
He said continuous emissions monitoring systems similar to those used in other industrial facilities could be adopted to detect potential emissions problems and allow corrective measures.
As part of the preparations, city officials and their Japanese counterparts have visited WTE facilities in Japan, including communities located near the plants, to study their operations and environmental safeguards.
Davao City generates an estimated 700 to 800 tons of waste daily, highlighting the need for long-term waste management solutions, Ocampo said.
He added that garbage collection remains operational despite occasional delays as the city transitions to the New Carmen Landfill following the closure of its previous disposal facility.
Ocampo said the city currently has sufficient capacity to manage its waste and does not immediately need to transport garbage to other cities or provinces.
The city has also acquired additional garbage trucks and continues to work with private haulers.
He urged residents to dispose of garbage only at designated collection points and observe collection schedules, saying stricter segregation would help reduce the amount of waste reaching disposal facilities and extend their useful life.
