By Liang Qiwen (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-23 10:05

Construction is expected to start by the end of the year on a massive below-ground garbage incinerator plant that will also generate electricity for Guangzhou, the capital of South China's Guangdong Province.

At a cost of 970 million yuan (US$125 million), the Likeng Garbage Incineration Power Plant will be able to incinerate more than 2,000 tons of domestic waste per day, almost one fifth of the city's total.

It will be also capable of generating 200 million kWh of electricity a year. The plant will be put into production by June 2009.

The project will adopt Danish clean garbage power transforming technology to reduce waste gas emissions.

Researchers have found that garbage shrinks 90 percent in volume and 80 percent in weight after being incinerated. Once incinerated, 2 tons of garbage can produce the same amount of energy as 1 ton of coal.

In addition, the residue can be used as environmentally friendly construction material. Garbage power, therefore, like solar and wind power, is an environmentally friendly means of power generation, experts said.

The location of the plant is in Baiyun District of Guangzhou, 23 km away from the main downtown area.

The first phase project com-menced operations in October 2005, and has incinerated 1,040 tons of domestic waste a day and generated 130 million kWh of electricity a year, enough for 100,000 families.

The city government funded the first phase, and private enterprise is footing the bill for the second phase.

According to the city's environment and sanitation bureau, Guangzhou produces 11,000 tons of domestic waste per day. That figure is expected to increase to 13,000 by 2010. Most of the garbage is buried in three landfills on the outskirts of Guangzhou, a potential environmental stain on the city.

It is expected all three landfills will be full by 2010, highlighting the vital importance of this new incinerator facility.

There are more than 50 garbage-burning electricity plants across the nation, about 60 percent of which are in the Yangtze River Delta.