POWER generation is going back to the future with a new $35-million generation plant coming up in Tuas that will be fuelled entirely by waste wood.

It will burn about 250 tonnes of waste wood a day to power turbines to generate 10 MW of electricity an hour — enough to do an hour’s worth of ironing in 10,000 homes.

The plant, run by waste management company Eco Industrial Environmental Engineering, intends to sell the power back to the national power grid.

Singapore Power subsidiary, Development Resources, and the Jurong Town Corporation International Utilities are also involved in this generation plant, which aims to move waste recycling from its rag-and-bone trade origins to new high-tech heights.

Eco's managing director, Colonel (Ret) Chua Tiong Guan, said that evaluation studies are tinderwav now and the plant could be ready by mid-2001.

By that time, the amount of commercial and industrial waste that Eco handles at its existing sorting and recycling facility should reach 1,000 tonnes a day, or about an eighth of the daily garbage haul here.

Eco now handles about 350 tonnes a day, recycling about 30 per cent and sending the rest on to the Environment Ministry’s incinerators.

Scrap metal, wood, paper and plastic make up most of it. After sorting, the waste is either sold to customers to be recycled or to traders here and abroad.

Said Col Chua: "Over 30 types of materials are recycled including glass and batteries. When the generaration plant is up, we will be able to recycle 50 per cent of the waste."

Nearly half the waste handled now is wood waste. This includes pallets used for packaging, which are refurbished and sold for use again.

From other wood waste, the nails are removed and the planks cut to lengths specified by customers, who include furniture makers.

The waste wood that cannot be re-used is sent. to the incinerators. By 2001, this waste will fuel the generation plant.

Over $70 million has been invested in the company since it started operating in 1995. Aside from its local partners, Eco also has strategic tie-ups with Japanese waste management companies, Ebara Corporation and Sanyu Plant Services.

Col Chua said Eco is now breaking even financially, after a difficult first few years.

He said that when operating at full capacity by 2001, h expects a turnover of $20 million a year in recycling commercial and industrial waste.

Another $20 million should come from treating and disposing of hazardous wastes, which is handled at another facility also in Tuas, that was opened yesterday.

-By Dominic Nathan

Source : The Straits Times, Jul 17, 1999

Back to Archive Page

Recycling Point Dot Com

(C) 2000 All Rights Reserved