The city government is banking on a new waste-to-energy project through a public-private partnership to help address its concerns on waste management and water scarcity.

In a media interview on Tuesday, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas expressed optimism over the state-of-the-art Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility (ISWMF), especially because the city’s sanitary landfill is expected to be filled in two years.

“This waste-to-energy is very timely because from October, when they will start construction, it will only take 18 months before they come up with the facility,” he said.

The city government and Metro Pacific Water (MPW), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp. (MPWIC), inked a memorandum of agreement for the construction of the ISWMF on March 1.

The signatories to the agreement were MPWIC president and chief executive officer Andrew Pangilinan, Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) chief operating officer Rob Cabiles, MetPower Venture Partners Holdings, Inc. (MVPHI) president and chief executive officer Jose Maria Madara, Iloilo City executive assistant Francis T. Cruz, and Treñas.

The project will be undertaken by MVPHI, another wholly-owned subsidiary of MPWIC.

The PHP2.3 billion project will be established on a three-hectare property in Barangay Ingore, La Paz, with a daily capacity to process 475 tons of solid waste.

The ISWMF will treat, recover, and convert the city’s waste into refuse-derived fuel and biogas, considered renewable energy sources by the Department of Energy, according to a statement released by the city government.

It will significantly reduce the waste that ends up in the Iloilo landfill, conserve natural resources, and minimize environmental impact.

It can produce up to 3.5 megawatts of power to augment the 10 megawatts for the desalination plant that will produce water supply.

“They will use the energy for desalination plant. We need water while the Jalaur is under construction. I think it’s going to take some time before the Jalaur is finalized, so the desalination plant is very timely,” he said.

The Jalaur River Multipurpose Project II is expected to provide bulk water supply to the city but it is expected to be available by 2018.

The project is likewise estimated to result in a reduction of 129,000 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The mayor said they are also planning to transfer the existing garbage at the 23-hectare landfill in Barangay Calahunan in Mandurriao district, which will pave the way for more development in the area. (PNA)