HA NOI – Soc Son waste-to-power plant, with a capacity of handling 4,000 tons of solid refuse daily, started operating on the morning of July 25, after many delays.
At 8:05 a.m. Incinerator No.1, with a capacity of 15MW, successfully connected to the national grid. With the operation of Incinerator No.1, every day 1,000 tons of fresh waste will be burned to generate electricity, equal to 1/7 of the amount of garbage generated every day in Hanoi.
Leaders and a team of engineers and workers applauded when Incinerator No.1 was successfully connected to the grid, on the morning of July 25. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
Mr. Li Ke, Deputy General Director of Thien Y Environmental Energy JSC and its contractor, Chinese Metallurgical Group Corporation General Contractor MCC (China) said that Incinerator No.2 has completed all technical adjustments and is waiting for state agencies authorized to operate. The remaining Incinerators No.3, No.4, No.5 have also been successfully calibrated and can operate when being authorized.
The plant uses Belgian technology and burns mixed waste (without sorting). However, Mr. Li Ke said that the separation of waste at source is a development trend of all countries. If Hanoi city separates waste at source, it will help reduce the rate of non-burnable substances, and at the same time make incineration more convenient.
Central control room of Soc Son waste-to-power Plant. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
The Soc Son Waste-to-Power Plant is located in the Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex, approved by Hanoi’s authorities in late 2017 with a total investment of VND7 trillion (US$303 million), implemented by the General Contractor MCC.
The plant has 5 incinerators with 3 generator sets. In phase one, the plant will operate Incinerator No.3 and No. 4 (unit 1), phase 2 will operate Incinerator No.1 and No. 2 (unit 2), phase 3 will be Incinerator No. 5 (unit 3).
It is expected that with 4,000 tons of waste incinerated, the amount of electricity generated is 75 MW. In which, the amount of electricity reused is 15-20%; The remaining factory has signed a power sale contract with Vietnam Electricity (EVN).
This is considered the largest waste-to-power plant in Vietnam with a capacity of handling 4,000 tons of dry waste, equivalent to nearly 5,500 tons of wet waste, per day.
Inside the factory’s garbage tank, in which the large tank can hold 25,000 tons of garbage. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
Every day, Hanoi generates about 7,000 tons of household waste, mainly treated in two waste treatment areas Nam Son, Soc Son district (over 5,000 tons per day) and Xuan Son, Son Tay town (about 1,300 tons per day). Current technology is mainly landfilling, producing organic fertilizer and burning without generating electricity, accounting for a small proportion.
In March, a waste-to-power plant with a capacity of 1,500-2,000 tons per day was also started at Xuan Son solid waste treatment area, with a generating capacity of 37MW and expected to be completed after 20 months.
The first waste-to-power plant in Hanoi operates. Video: Huy Manh
