City Hall mulls using mercury-contaminated pit as power source

The city government considered utilizing the water in the abandoned mercury-contaminated mine pit of PQMI in Barangay Sta. Lourdes as power source using a wastewater-to-energy technology.

City Administrator Atty. Arnel Pedrosa said that the city government, through the initiative of City Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron, has proposed to the National Water Resource Board (NWRB) a tripartite agreement with AustWorks.

This proposal is separate from the proposed Waste-to-Energy project, which is a joint venture of the city government and AustWorks.

This technology will convert wastewater into energy, he explained.

“Meron ngayong tripartite MOA with NWRB at si AustWorks to utilize yung tubig sa mine pit o itong pit lake sa Sta. Lourdes. Ibang programa ito kasi yung dati, (proposed waste-to-energy project) ay meron pang obstacles,” Atty. Pedrosa said.

Last year, the city government of Puerto Princesa and the Department of Energy (DOE) signed in April last year for the Operating Contract of what is touted as the country’s first thermal gasification. The Westinghouse thermal gasification technology that is already in use in Japan and in many European countries.

Austworks Corp., in joint venture with the city government of Puerto Princesa, will be putting up a P2.1-billion waste-to-energy plant at the city’s Santa Lourdes Sanitary Landfill.

Using the city’s 110 tons of solid wastes as feedstock, the plant is expected to generate some 5.5 megawatts of electricity.

Atty. Pedrosa said that the thermal gasification waste-to-energy project will solve not only the power shortage problem but foremost of all, is the significant reduction of solid wastes.

“Ang pinaka-main natin na problema bakit tayo mag-waste to energy lalo na na may mga turista ay itong basura. Pangalawa na lang yung kuryente. Ang waste-to-energy ay hitting two birds in one stone,” Atty. Pedrosa explained.

He further said that they are expecting that this new proposed project will be fast tracked and implemented.

“Ito ay ibang kontrata ito with AustWorks, sana ay matuloy na ito,” he said.