SSWMB, Engro sign MoU for feasibility study for waste-to-energy plant

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) and Engro Energy Limited signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday for preparation of a feasibility study for a solid waste power plant.

Those who witnessed the MoU signing ceremony included Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab, SSWMB Managing Director Zubair Ahmed Channa, Engro Energy CEO Yusuf Siddiqui and Engro Energy Head of Business Development Usman Hassan.

Shah said on the occasion that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a vision for the city's cleanliness and development, and the MoU being signed was a step in order to achieve that vision. “We appreciate the initiative of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and Engro Energy for joining the efforts of the Sindh Government to find a sustainable solution to waste,” he said.

Meanwhile, the energy minister said that work on refuse-derived fuel (RDF) had started last year. “We have also signed agreements to generate electricity from waste. These are part of the initiatives toward making the city clean and green. We are also working on other such projects to ensure better use of waste by recycling,” he explained.

Wahab remarked that Sindh had become the first province of Pakistan that approved a systematic policy for generating energy from waste. Under the policy, energy and RDF would be generated through waste in collaboration with private institutions, he said.

The SSWMB managing director said modern technology was being used to provide sanitation facilities to the citizens. He added that the agreement was an effort under which waste would be recycled and made useful.

According to the agreement, the Engro Energy Ltd would use its skilled staff and technical resources for the completion of the power project. In this regard, the SSWMB would provide access to the company to the Jam Chakro and Gond Pass landfill sites.

All the required information would be provided for the purpose of the study to the Engro Energy. A total of 10 tons of waste would also be provided to the private company every month for the study after prior approval of the SSWMB.

“The Engro Energy always aims to solve some of the most pressing issues of Pakistan,” said the CEO. The signing of the MoU, he added, signified how the private organisation in collaboration with the Sindh government was once again embarking on a landmark project to find a solution to the waste problem of the city.

He said that the idea of turning waste into sustainable fuel was also in line with Pakistan’s sustainability targets as pledged in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and would also help the country in import substitution through the displacement of imported fuel with the RDF.

“We look forward to implementing the project to promote environmental-friendly energy sources, leading to a brighter and more sustainable future for coming generations,” Siddiqui remarked.