Third phase of waste-to-energy project to begin soon — municipal official

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will soon start implementing the third phase of a project to generate electricity by burning methane from Ghabawi landfill, a municipal official said on Saturday.

Under the third phase, the municipality will install generators and integrated systems for generating electricity by burning methane, according to Basem Tarawneh, deputy director for districts and environmental affairs at GAM.

Tarawneh said that 4.8 megawatts per hour are expected to be generated under the project early next year, when the fourth cell is scheduled to be completed.

Methane gas produced at landfills is a strong contributor to global climate change, according to GAM, which indicated that it has 21 times the negative impact of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere.

The methane gas at Ghabawi landfill will be collected and burned to prevent it from being released into the air to protect the environment, according to the municipality, which said that its project seeks to use the collected biogas to generate electricity.

GAM said that it has concluded work on the project’s second phase, which entailed the drilling of wells which will later collect methane emitted from the 2,800 tonnes of municipal waste which are dumped at the Ghabawi landfill every day.

Situated some 25 kilometres east of Amman, the landfill serves the capital and the central region, stretching over 3,000 square metres. The landfill annually receives 1.3 million tonnes of waste and is expected to remain in operation beyond the year 2030, according to GAM.

The generated electricity will be used to power the landfill, while the remainder will be sent back to the national grid, according to GAM, which said that its annual electricity bill reaches JD11 million.

“GAM is now studying the fifth cell tender, which will be floated later for implementation,” Tarawneh added.