Egypt to use landfill gas to produce electricity

CAIRO - 30 September 2019:In spite of the fact that Egypt enjoys an abundance of electricity, the government is working on using landfill gas to produce electricity.

Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy stated on Sept. 28 that the country will use the methane gas emitted by sanitary landfills in electricity production, consequently generating revenues to the state.

The private and public sectors will be key partners in the new landfill gas projects, he said, adding that the projects would be run by the private sector. Small enterprises and other non-governmental organizations will also be partners in the projects.

Periodic checkupswill be conducted every three months to evaluate the participating companies and sectors, Shaarawy said.

Concerning the solid waste management, the minister said the government's plan on the management would last for 4year; the first phase will focus on the infrastructure to establish many factories to recycle solid waste by 60 percent, he said, adding that the plan targets 80 percent of recycling.

The state-owned Central Agency for Public Mobilization for Statistics (CAPMAS) announced that Egypt has achieved an energy surplus as the consumption declined from 35.9 megawatt/hour in the first quarter of 2019 to 35.1 megawatt/hour. Also, electricity produced in the same period reached 43.8 megawatt/hour, compared to 71.8 megawatt/hour, CAPMAS added in data issued on June 30.

“Egypt has a large electricity reserve, which reflects the stability of the electricity supply and meets both the citizen and the investor’s needs,” Ministry of Electricity Spokesperson Ayman Hamza told"Sabahak Masry" talk show on MBC channel on Sunday.