Vietnam’s biggest waste-to-power plant enters operation

The 75 megawatt Soc Son waste-to-power plant in Hanoi, the country's biggest of its kind, entered operation Monday after several delays.

This is also the largest waste incineration plant in Vietnam with a capacity of handling 4,000 tons of dry waste a day, equivalent to nearly 5,500 tons of wet waste.

Thien Y Environmental Energy JSC is the project investor, and the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor is China’s MCC company.

Its first turbine, with a capacity of 15 MW, has connected to the national grid. This turbine will see 1,000 tons of fresh waste burned a day to generate electricity, equalling to one-seventh of the daily waste volume Hanoi discharges.

The remaining four turbines are waiting for official permission to operate.

The plant uses Belgian technology and burns mixed waste without sorting. But if Hanoi could separate waste at the source, that would help reduce the ratio of non-burnable substances and make the incineration more convenient, according to plant executives.

The waste-to-power project, located in Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex, has a total investment of VND7,000 billion ($299 million).

Of the 75 MW generated, the plant will use 15-20%, while the remainder is sold to the state-run Vietnam Electricity (EVN) under an already signed agreement.

Every day, Hanoi discharges about 7,000 tons of domestic waste, mainly treated at two waste treatment complexes named Nam Son in Soc Son district (over 5,000 tons per day) and Xuan Son in Son Tay town (about 1,300 tons per day).

Current technology is mainly centered on landfilling. Production of organic fertilizer and burning without generating electricity account for a small ratio.

In March, construction on a waste-to-power plant with a capacity of 1,500-2,000 tons per day commenced at the Xuan Son solid waste treatment complex, with a power generating capacity of 37 MW. The project is expected to be completed after 20 months.