The Thoi Lai waste-to-energy plant in Can Tho city, invested by a Chinese enterprise with a total investment of VND1,050 billion (VN$45.6 million), became operational on December 8, after more than a year of construction, VnExpress reported. Located on a site of 5.3ha in Truong Xuan commune, Thoi Lai district and using the investor’s proprietary modern technology, the plant is capable of processing 400 tons of household waste and generating 150,000 kWh of electricity per day.

All indicators of air, dust, environment are displayed online and sent to monitoring stations every 15 minutes.

At present, Can Tho City has about 600-650 tons of garbage collected and sent to solid waste treatment areas in O Mon, Thot Not and Co Do districts, then buried and burned in the way of non-recoverable energy technologies.

Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People's Committee Dao Anh Dung said that the waste-to-energy plant is the first project in the locality to introduce advanced technology to treat domestic waste, create new energy sources, reduce pollution and improve living environment.

Earlier, after being put into a trial run on October 15, Thoi Lai waste-to-energy plant has handled 3,878 tons of waste. The plant is expected to help Can Tho deal with household waste as it consumes up to 77% of the city’s total garbage volume, according to the Vietnam Energy Association.

EB Can Tho General Director Shao Qi Chao said that at present, factories and transportation units as well as agencies and departments of Can Tho city are coordinating very well on the time of receiving garbage, the association cited.

Chao added that the equipment used in the plant is self-researched by China Everbright Group.  

In particular, the plant can treat household waste without using oil, and its smoke treatment system meets European standards, Chao confirmed.