China is helping Pakistan to set up a waste-to-energy plant in Lahore after a study showed that the country has huge potential to generate electricity from garbage by using innovative technology.

Ms Rimsha Ejaz, a research officer in Quality Enhancement Cell of Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, said that China had conducted a study on the future possibilities of electricity generation from waste using technology in Pakistan and other developing nations in Asia.

"According to the study conducted by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, Pakistan has the ability to generate enough electricity from garbage to meet its demand. China is not only conducting this essential research for meeting Pakistan's future energy needs, but also assisting Pakistan in doing so. The research also provides findings and recommendations to boost the future bioelectricity generation of Pakistan," she stated.

Rimsha Ejaz said Chinese companies had decided to set up a 40-megawatt waste-to-energy plant in Lahore as biomass utilization had received significant research and policy focus.

"The study estimates that 38 percent of worldwide bioelectricity output (637TWh) presently originates from the Asian region. Around 13 percent of the global population does not have access to electricity or other energy services. And 80 percent of the population resides in economically developing nations," she maintained.

Muhammad Saleem, an administration assistant in Alico Waste Experts, a waste management company based in Karachi, said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority had approved the waste-to-energy plant proposal submitted by the Lahore Xingzhong Renewable Energy Company Private Limited.

Three Chinese companies, including China ENFI Engineering Corporation, MCC Tongsin Resources Co. Limited and Chengdu Xingrong Environment Co. Limited, had established a new Special Purpose Vehicle company named Lahore Xingzhong Renewable Energy Private Limited to undertake the proposed project of the Punjab Government, he said.

"The proposed project is expected to have a total cost of $220 million and an installed capacity of 40MW. It will include two turbine generators, each of which will have a capacity of 20MW."

"It is anticipated that the commercial operations would begin by the end of 2022. The power that is generated from this project will be fed into the national grid operated by Lahore Electricity Supply Company at 132/11kV Mominpura," Muhammad Saleem informed WealthPK.

It is to mention here that Lahore Waste Management Company is currently responsible for managing municipal solid waste in Lahore. Lakhodair sanitary landfill is now the only sanitary landfill site in Lahore, managing between 2,000 and 25,000 tonnes of trash every day.

Hundreds of thousands of deaths are caused by garbage-related illnesses in Pakistan every year due to the country's poor management of solid waste. Solid waste is produced at a rate of around 20 million tonnes per year in Pakistan, with a growth rate of approximately 2.4 percent each year. Lahore has a population of over 11 million people, and its daily garbage output is greater than 6,000 tonnes.

It is to be noted here that a waste-to-energy plant does not require a large amount of land. It entails utilizing solid waste to recover energy in the form of electrical fuel or other by-products. The method minimizes the volume of solid trash and, as a result, conserves a substantial portion of landfill space.