Work begins on US$400 million waste-to-energy plant in Ho Chi Minh City

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on August 28 to commence the construction of a US$400 million waste-to-energy plant at Tay Bac solid waste treatment complex in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City.

Delegates at the ground-breaking ceremony (Photo: thanhuytphcm.vn)
Delegates at the ground-breaking ceremony (Photo: thanhuytphcm.vn)

According to Director of the Vietstar Joint Stock Company, Ngo Nhu Hung Viet, the project’s developer, the plant will operate on a closed chain, using incineration and advanced technologies to convert waste into electricity.

Slated for completion in 2020, the plant has been designed for a daily processing capacity of 2,000 tonnes of waste in its first phase of operation, which will double to 4,000 tonnes in the second phase by 2021.

Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Nguyen Thanh Phong, said that the city’s authorities have called for the application of advanced technologies to generate electricity at waste treatment plants in order to realise the city's orientation for sustainable development.

With the construction of the plant in Cu Chi, Vietstar Joint Stock Company has established its vanguard position in adopting waste-to-energy technology.

Ho Chi Minh City generates more than 9,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, of which 72% is buried and the rest is burnt, recycled or used to produce fertilisers.

Nguyen Toan Thang, director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that the city’s authorities have approved the construction of three waste-to-energy plants.

They include the one run by Vietstar Joint Stock Company and two others by Tam Sinh Nghia Investment Development JSC., and Tasco Joint Stock Company, which are scheduled to be constructed in October this year.