The Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) said in a statement yesterday that the third-phase extension project of the city’s solid waste incineration centre, located at Pac On in Taipa, has been completed.
The statement said that operational tests have now been completed so that it can come into service soon. The third-phase operational start will raise the facility’s capacity to burn solid waste per day by 1,300 tonnes.
According to the DSPA website, the centre’s first-phase incineration plant, which opened in 1992, comprises three incinerators, each of which has a capacity to treat 288 tonnes of solid waste per day.
The centre’s second-phase incineration plant, which opened in 2008, also comprises three incinerators, each of which also has a capacity to treat 288 tonnes of solid waste per day, according to the website.
Consequently, both the first-phase and second-phase incineration plants are each able to burn 864 tonnes of solid waste per day, thereby 1,728 tonnes in total.
Currently, a special and hazardous waste treatment plant is operating on a site next to the solid waste incineration centre at Pac On. The special and hazardous waste treatment plant processes waste such as used tires, animal carcasses, slaughterhouse waste, and medical waste.
Yesterday’s DSPA statement noted that the centre’s third-phase extension includes a new solid waste incineration plant and a new special and hazardous waste treatment plant, as well as an administrative building and a substation.
The third-phase incineration plant comprises two incinerators, each of which has a capacity to treat 650 tonnes of solid waste per day. Consequently, the statement noted, the third-phase operational start will raise the city’s daily capacity to burn solid waste by 1,300 tonnes.
The DSPA website notes that the eight incinerators in the three plants together will be able to burn up to about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day.
According to the DSPA website, the third-phase extension project, which got off the ground in May 2020, was carried out for a price tag of 2.567 billion patacas.
The website also notes that the facility at Pac On is able to convert the heat generated by burning solid waste into energy used to generate electricity.
Yesterday’s DSPA statement also said that the newly completed administrative building features various eco-friendly equipment and facilities such as a photovoltaic system and a rainwater harvesting system on its rooftop.
The newly completed third-phase incineration plant also includes an exhibition hall on environmental education, which will be open to members of the public aiming to enable them to gain a better understanding of Macau’s solid waste treatment and waste recycling.
This undated handout photo released by the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) shows the solid waste incineration complex at Pac On in Taipa including the first-phase and second-phase incineration plants (centre), the newly completed third-phase plant (right), and the newly completed administrative building (left, bottom).
