Come January next year, Ethiopia will start operating Africa’s first waste-to-energy plant, which aims to transform the Koshe dump in the country’s capital city Addis Ababa.
The initiative, called the Reppie project, is made possible through a partnership between the government of Ethiopia and a consortium of international companies, including Cambridge Industries Limited, China National Electric Engineering and Danish engineering firm Ramboll.
By incinerating 1 400 tons of waste daily (equivalent to roughly 80% of the city’s rubbish) the 50 MW Reppie waste-to-energy plant will supply 30% of Addis Ababa’s household energy needs.
According to an Asoko Insight report, the plant adopts modern back-end flue gas treatment technology to reduce the release of heavy metals and dioxins produced when burning waste. Other benefits include saving space, preventing the release of toxic chemicals into groundwater and reducing the production of methane (a potent greenhouse gas generated in landfills).
