The Reppie Waste to Energy Project located in the Capital City’s main landfill has been inaugurated.
The green energy power plant, which converts waste into a potential 25MW of power, took four years to finish and cost 2.6 billion birr, according to Azeb Asnake (Eng), former CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
It was built by China National Electrical Engineering Company (CNEEC), while the feasibility study was done by the UK’s Cambridge Industrial Ltd, which is also the EPC constructor of the project.
The turnkey project involved many sub-projects including power generating steam turbines and generators, construction of the main building, a tipping hall, a waste bunker, a boiler hall,  a power house, a main control room, leachate treatment, and a flue gas treatment plant. It was paid for by public money.
The former CEO stated that the residue of the burnt waste, fly ash and bottom ash will be converted into inputs for other industries. She said that the bottom ash will be supplied to cement industries to produce low heat cement material, needed for the construction sector when they build dams and bridges. Currently cement factories import bottom ash to make low heat cement. Fly ash will be used to make bricks. Three million bricks can potentially be produced from the ash per year. Brick production is part of a youth employment program. The facility can also supply 3.6 million tons of scrap metal to steel companies by using magnets to separate metal parts.
The processing plant will also produce 30 million liters of treated water for washing roads and planting trees.
The Reppi landfill also known as Koshe has been in existence four decades. The plant is the first of its kind on the continent. It will use 1,400 tons of waste per day to generate power. The waste pit can hold seven days of waste.
Currently EEP, which is responsible for construction of power plants, high voltage transmission lines sub stations, and exporting power, is spending 350 billion birr on power projects.
By the middle of 2020 or the end of the GTP II power generation is slated to increase to 17, 000MW from the current 4,300MW.