The Energy Forum Zambia has commended Minister of Energy and Water Development Dora Siliya for calling for investments in converting garbage to energy.
Energy Forum Zambia Chairperson Johnstone Chikwanda said the Minister of Energy deserves commendation for the calls to invest in waste to energy technology as it will create employment at various levels such as at garbage collection, transportation and at the level of sorting garbage.
This is according to a statement released to the media by Energy Forum Zambia Chairperson Johnstone Chikwanda from Johannesburg in South Africa.
Mr. Chikwanda said the councils should seize the opportunity of the technology which he said would significantly contribute to the, “Keep Zambia clean and health campaign” that was re-launched recently.
“The significant and viable investment opportunity in this regards lie at mini waste to energy technologies capable of generating up to 10 megawatts (MW). Depending on the ability to collect garbage, one can do even a medium size power plant,” Mr. Chikwanda explained.
He noted that even if it means producing one mw, it would still translate into a lot of money at the current proposed tariff of $0.1 per KWh adding that even councils that are struggling to raise revenue would benefit significantly.
He observed that entrepreneurs have scarcely considered investing in small power plants because they like looking at huge power projects that would produce over 100 MW.
Minister of Energy Dora Siliya is reported to have called for investors to invest in waste to energy technology during the energy consultative meeting held in Lusaka recently.
Mr. Chikwanda said the opportunity that Ms. Siliya has talked about must be seized by individuals, communities, companies and municipalities saying the quantity of the garbage lying around Lusaka for instance can support at least a MW plant.
He noted that Zambia as a country has not done well in terms of diversifying the energy mix adding that even the sewerage lake in Garden compound can produce electricity.
He has since called on the members of the public to support policy statements and seize opportunities.
Mr. Chikwanda further said the power crisis the country is facing has brought significant business opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the energy sector.
But there are no jobs for people to have money, buy anything and even have waste. Start with stopping the rampant job loses, create jobs, pay better salaries for those jobs before you start barking about waste!
If it were so simple. The only way to create jobs is to build infrastructure. Take a look at the New Deal instituted by FDR. Waste is a huge problem on the continent and one of the greatest contributors to diseases. No one answer but to say it doesn’t help is being unfair.
Its important to invest in research for a country like Zambia so technologies can be developed to convert waste to energy. One does not just wake one day and have the energy. This is a wake-up call for politician, academics and policy-makers to be thinking ahead. I am so disappointed by the attitude of those University of Zambia academics toward groundbreaking research. They bank so much on blackboard teaching which any person can easily do. Please, come of your shells and help the country out of this energy turmoil.
@ Vinthu your cry is as agonising as mine