KenGen says feasibility study for the waste-to-energy project will take up to six months to be completed.
The plan to set up an energy plant to recycle waste at Dandora dumpsite is set to suffer another delay with a feasibility study into the project only beginning this month.
This is after KenGen #ticker:KEGN said the feasibility study for the waste-to-energy project commenced this month and will take up to six months to be completed.
The tendering process for the project was to begin in December 2020 but this was pushed to January after the process encountered some delays.
Last week, Nairobi MCAs raised concerns over the delay in commencement of the project as they sought to know its implementation status.
Dandora Area II MCA Silas Matara asked Nairobi County Assembly’s Environment committee to inquire about the project’s status.
However, according to KenGen, the project implementer, the viability of the venture will only be known at the end of the study, which will also determine the cost of the project among other issues that will determine the next steps of the project.
The consultant tapped by KenGen is a regional engineering firm which specialises in water and wastewater services.
KenGen last August invited expressions of interest (EOI) from eligible consultancy firms to conduct a feasibility study for the development and operation of the waste to energy plant.
“We have signed a consultancy contract with a firm to carry out a feasibility study for the Waste-to-Energy project. The consultant has started work and the feasibility study will be comprehensive and will help to fast track the project’s implementation,” said KenGen.
Renewable energy
KenGen partnered with the Nairobi Metropolitan Services last year in a deal that will see NMS make available the land within or around Dandora dumpsite, while the electricity producer finances, develops, and operates the power plant.
Initially, NMS had projected a public-private partnership but noted that the Ministry of Energy took it upon itself to build the factory at Dandora to harness energy.
NMS says the power plant will solve the county’s garbage problem and contribute to renewable energy pool.
The Dandora dumpsite is more than three times full, holding more than 1.8 million tonnes of solid waste against a capacity of 500,000 tonnes with over 2,500 tonnes of waste is deposited at the site daily.