Cebu province’s 1st waste-to-energy facility gains grounds

An aerial view of the Balili property in Naga City, Cebu. | Photo screenshot from Sugbo News Facebook Live

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu Provincial Government has officially entered into an agreement with a private consortium for the construction of a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility, which, upon completion, will also be the province’s first.

The Capitol held a ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Waste Management Inc. – Philippines and Harvest Waste B.V. last December 15. The event was broadcasted live on Facebook through Sugbo News, the Capitol’s news portal. 

The MOA signing also meant that civil works for the WTE facility may start soon.

Based on the copies of the MOA presented, the WTE plant will be constructed through a build-operate-transfer arrangement. 

This means that the Capitol will be providing the lot for the facility while the private consortium formed by Waste Management Inc.- Philippines and Harvest Waste B.V., a Netherlands-based company, will fund its construction. 

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said they intend to place the WTE, estimated to cost P10 billion, in a 10-hectare parcel of land in the controversial Balili property in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City.

 

“In a twist of irony, the property that we had purchased in my previous term, for which I was so maligned, cases were filed against me. This same property will now serve the entire province of Cebu that is the Balili property,” Garcia said. 

Once the plant becomes operational, the private consortium will then transfer its ownership to the provincial government. 

“Since this is a build-operate-transfer scheme, this would ultimately be turned over to the province of Cebu and the province of Cebu will now become the owner of this improvement –  a P10 billion waste-to-energy plant,” said Garcia.

“In the interim, the Province of Cebu will continue to earn revenue because such a plant is located in a what was once much-maligned piece of property, now has in fact become one of the greatest assets of the Province of Cebu,” she added. 

To recall, the Waste Management Inc. – Philippines and Harvest Waste submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Capitol for the establishment of a WTE facility. 

Garcia had been pushing for a WTE plant in the province since she was first elected in 2004.

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