Davao City is targeting to complete its proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) facility by 2028 to 2029 with an expected power generation of about 13 megawatts (MW) from the city’s waste stream.
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said Friday the city continues to coordinate with the Japanese government under an existing memorandum of agreement for the project.
Speaking at Isyu Karon at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, Ocampo said the facility is planned for an approximately nine-hectare site provided by the city and is awaiting the Japanese side’s handling of the bidding process before construction can begin.
“The facility is expected to have a gross generating capacity of about 13 megawatts, with roughly 2 megawatts for its own operations, leaving an estimated 11 megawatts for net output,” Ocampo told reporters.
He said the timeline will depend largely on the procurement and construction process.
The City Council has also approved an P11-million bond for the city’s planned participation in the Department of Energy’s auction mechanism for WTE facilities.
Ocampo said the amount is equivalent to about P1 million per megawatt based on the projected 11-MW net output.
“If the city does not win or advance in the bidding, the bond would be refundable. If the bid succeeds, the amount would become a performance bond tied to the project’s completion,” he said.
Ocampo said proper waste segregation will be crucial to the operation of the WTE facility, which will require suitable feedstock with adequate calorific value and a relatively dry and combustible composition.
He said food waste, wet materials and certain medical wastes should undergo separate treatment.
Ocampo also said that food waste may be composted or processed by specialized facilities, while hospital waste must be handled by qualified facilities.
“The households should begin with basic segregation,” Ocampo said.
He urged residents to separate recyclables such as cardboard, paper and plastics for recovery or sale.
He said recycling would reduce the volume of waste sent to disposal facilities while providing additional income for waste workers and waste pickers.
Ocampo also said the city will coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to monitor emissions from the proposed facility, particularly dioxins and furans.
He said continuous emissions monitoring systems used in other industrial facilities could be adopted to detect potential emissions problems and facilitate corrective measures.
As part of preparations, city officials and their Japanese counterparts have visited WTE facilities in Japan and communities located near the plants.
Davao City generates an estimated 700 to 800 tons of waste daily, Ocampo said, underscoring the need for long-term waste management solutions.
He said garbage collection remains operational despite occasional delays as the city transitions to the New Carmen Landfill following the closure of the former disposal facility.
Ocampo said the city currently has sufficient capacity to manage its waste and does not immediately need to transport garbage to other cities or provinces.
The city has also acquired new garbage trucks and continues to work with private haulers.
He urged residents to dispose of garbage only at designated collection points and follow collection schedules, saying stricter segregation would help reduce waste reaching disposal facilities and extend their useful life.
