Oman plans to convert waste into energy

MUSCAT, Jan 13 - The Sultanate plans to launch projects to convert waste into reusable energy, the groundwork for which is currently being laid, according to the Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER). Oman’s ‘Waste to Energy’ initiative will be carried out in coordination with Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWPC) and Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (be’ah), Qais bin Saud al Zakwani, Executive Director of AER, told the Observer. “We will start preparatory works to assess the possibility of procuring waste which can help generate alternative energy that can be used domestically,” he said. According to studies, the generation of global municipal solid waste (MSW) is expected to rise to 2.6 billion tonnes per year by 2025. This increase is caused by population growth, urbanisation, economic development and industrialisation. Higher the economic development and rate of urbanisation, greater the amount of MSW produced. Social, economic and industrial development in the GCC, including the Sultanate, coupled with an expanding population, has created an explosion in the generation of MSW in recent years. GCC produces 650 kg of municipal waste per person per year, almost six times that of an Asian country. While only amounting for 15 per cent of the US population, GCC countries produce almost the same amount of MSW per day as the US. KABEER YOUSUF