A project to recycle solid municipal waste for the sake of generating energy may be implemented in Minsk. It will be the first project of the kind in Belarus, BelTA learned from Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Olga Prudnikova on 10 December.

The official said: “Minsk cogeneration plant No.4 has been tentatively chosen for the project. Pre-design documentation is being developed. Three possible technical solutions are under consideration. Environmental impact has been calculated for each of them.”

 The Energy Ministry believes that the diversification of energy resources remains a high priority for Belarus. There are untapped reserves in the sphere of heating energy generation. Unconventional kinds of energy resources may be used for generating heating energy. For instance, waste can be used as fuel by a cogeneration plant or by special boiler houses to generate heating energy.

The volume of investments will be clear once the technical solution for implementing the project is selected and acquisition tenders are over. According to Olga Prudnikova, a similar project abroad would cost roughly €150 million. She specified that if the project gets a green light, some of the costs will be offset by the availability of the necessary infrastructure and trained personnel at Minsk cogeneration plant No.4. Setting up a new enterprise in greenfield conditions would be a costly proposition.

“As a rule, such projects are financed using borrowed resources and the company's own money. The matter needs more deliberation,” the deputy energy minister added.

In her words, documents for public hearings about the project have already been prepared.