$74 mln waste-to-power factory inaugurated in Bac Ninh province

A $74-million waste-to-power facility was inaugurated in the northern province of Bac Ninh on Thursday as part of a cooperation agreement between Vietnam and Japan.

A $74-million waste-to-power facility was inaugurated in the northern province of Bac Ninh on Thursday as part of a cooperation agreement between Vietnam and Japan.

T&J Green Energy Company Limited, a joint venture between Vietnam’s Thuan Thanh Environment JSC and Japan’s JFE Engineering Corporation, kicked off the construction of the facility in January 2022.

The 13.5-MW facility, with a daily capacity of processing 600 tons of waste, was approved for trial operation on January 8 and is set for commercial operation in the second quarter of this year.

The factory is expected to help Bac Ninh province reduce waste dumping, generate 100 million kWh of electricity annually, and reduce carbon emissions by 600,000 tons in 15 years.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh (center) attends the inauguration ceremony of the waste-to-power facility in Bac Ninh province, northern Vietnam, January 11, 2024. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Bac Ninh, an industrial hub in northern Vietnam, now has two operational waste processing plants. The province’s daily household waste output is 1,200 tons, according to Bac Ninh Vice Chairman Dao Quang Khai.

"The province is deploying four waste-to-power projects with a total capacity of handling 1,300-1,500 tons of waste daily, aiming to process all household waste from the second quarter of 2024," Khai told the inaugural event.

Bac Ninh's first waste-to-power plant was inaugurated in November 2023. The 6.1-MW factory, with an investment of $33 million, was invested by a joint venture between Vietnam’s Green Star Co. Ltd. and South Korea’s Chosun Refractory Engineering. It can process industrial and household waste of 180 tons daily and generate 40 million kWh a year.