Tuesday, April 12, 2011
THISDAY, Vol. 16 No. 5832, Page 29
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'Waste to Su.pply 10% of Global Elect1i~i!Y Demand' .
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rowing global energy demand and increased concerns over environmehtal issues have prompted governments across the globe to . commence initiatives and financial schemes to encourage pr0duction of energy from industrial and agricultural wastes. A recent study by SBI Energy revealed O,at wastes to energy could meet as much as 10 percent of the world's electricity demands. The report released at the weekend revealed a worldwide shift towards waste to energy technologies. noting that based on continued growth in Asia, and tlre manning of European Union (Ell) waste regulations and United States climate mitigation strategies, annual global mmet for waste to energy technologies will exoeed $27 billion by 2021 for all technologies combined. _ The study revealed that, in the past five year.;, the global waste to energy mme! had grown from around $4.83 billion in 2006, to $7 DS . billion in 2010 - showing impressive gains throughout the economic downturn. The SBI pointed out that based on continued growth in Asia; and the maturing ofEU waste regulations and US climate mitigation strategies, annual global mari<et for waste to energy technologies will exoeed $27 billion by 2021 for all technologies combined. "Each year the world generates more than 2.1 billion tons (1.9 billion tonnes) of waste, most of which ends up in landfiJl, allowed to decay and release methane, carbon diox.ide, volatile 路 organic compouods, odours, groundwater quality poUutants, and a.l1ost of other air, water, and soil poUutants. Locked inside that waste is approx.imately .
By Chika Amanze-Nwachuku 245 quadrillion Btu (71SP24 GWh) of energy - enough heat to generate about 10 percent Of the electricity consumed annually around the globe", the study revealed. The report however stated that in many deveioped nations, the availaliility of landfiJI capacity has been flat or Steadily decreasing due to regulatory, planning and environmental permitting constraints. As a
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resUlt, it said, new approaches to waste management are rapidly being wrinen into public and institutional policies at local to national levels. ''Land6lling still accounts for the overwhelming majority of waste management facilities in developed countries, generally performs weU in terms of throughput, public health, and safety, according to the report. But many current and widespread waste management practices are mediocre or even poor performers in terms of energy efficieocy and environm~ntal performance", the report added, even as it cited rapid depletion of conventional sources of energy as a key factor in the shift. The SBI also disclosed that ongoing research will resolve current concerns of conversion and efficiency - making waste a mainstream source of energy.
Local Content Board Targets $10Om Devt Fund bY, 2012 n furtherance of its commitment" to boost the competence of Nigerians to participate in Ole narion's oil and gas operations, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDM) haS. set a target of growing the financial substance of the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) to about $100 million by the end of20l2. The fund, which is specifically meant for the development of the capacity of Nigerian service providers in the oil' and gas sector in line with provisions of the
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Nigerian Content Act is howev-
er different from the $350 million Local Content Fund that was put together by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2007 as operational capital for Nigerian firms that are awarded service contracts in the industry. In composition. one percent deduction is made from all invoice payments- covered by contracts (formal and service contracts) in the industry and transferred to the NCDF as [rom April 22, 2010 when the Local Content Act was assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan. Speaking to newsmen at the cemmemoration of the first anniversary of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) recently in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Ernest N wopa, disclosed that the
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From Chineme Oka/or in Abuja
fund has progressively accumu-. lated , adding that the board hopes to amass about $100 million into the fund by the end of 2012. Nwapa who had earlier,in his opening remarks stated that only three International Oil Companies (lOCs) have been up-to-date in their remittances to the fund , declined to disclose the current financial position of the fund . According to him: "It is accumulating progressively and I do not keep a day-to-day tab on the fund but.J can teU you that we are poised to grow it to about $100 million by the end of2012:' He also failed to disclose the profile of the IOCs that have been judicious in their one percent contract remittances to the fund, which is dedicated to capacity building in Ole industry. TIflSDAY however gathered that the board was coUaborating with other industry operators to ensure full compliance in contributing to the fund. ''At the same time, industry opc;rators are coming together to identify the critical facilities that needs to be developed and we are not going to wait for investors.
'Sen!'>, SpeciaJAdviser /0 Ihe PresitknJ on MOOs and Member United Nations Global SusfilinabiJily Panel (GPS) H'!iiya Amina Az-Zubair a,uI Chaimuln ofFADE Africa andfamous environmenlJIlisl, Dr. Newlon libunoh during a consulJaJive group ofNigerian experts on Ihe Uniled Nations . Global SustainabiJity Pane/held at Ote Tra,lScorp HiIJon Abuja .. ncenlly PHaro: Sunday Agha....
Global Pesticide Ban: Nigerian Farmers at Risk igerian farmers may be at risk as some of the pesticideds used for agricultural production in the country have been banned by the United Nations. United Nations chemical experts last week recommended that two pesticides - endosulfan and azinphos methyl and one severely hazardous pesticide formulation Gramoxone Super - be included in the Rotterdam Convention's Prior Informed Consent procedure. Meanwhile, THlSDAY learnt that these pesticides are still in active use by farmers in Nigeria. Three industrial chemicals perfluorooctane sulfonate
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By Crusoe Osagie (PFOS), its salts and precursors;
pentaBDE commercial mixtures; and octaBDE commercial mixtures - were also recommended for inclusion. The Convention's Chemical Review Committee based its recommendation 011 a review of national regulatory actions taken by Bettin, Canada, European Union, lapan, New Zealand,and Norway to ban or restrict the use of chemicals that pose an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. "For the first time since the Convention entered into force in
2004, the Committee has recommeoded adding a severely hazardous pesticide formulation to the 'watch list', advancing our Parties' efforts to' ensure that countries' rights to know and trade chemicals safely' are respected,' said FAO's Peter Kenmore, Co-Executive Secretary of the Rotterdam Convention. Gramoxone Super is an herbicide containing paraquat dichloride, which is used to control weeds in cotton. rice and maize. Burkina Faso had proposed to include Gramoxone Super as a severely hazardous pesticide formulation (SHPF) into Annex ill of the Convention due to the problems experienced caused by tltis pesticide formulation under conditions of use in its territory.
PentaBDE and octaBDE commercial mixtures are brontinated flame retardants. Due to their tox.icity and persistence, their industrial production is set to be eliminated under the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic poUutants (POPs). "The recommendation to include these three industrial chemicals maries an acceleration in the rate of subntission of industrial chemicals to the CRC for review of these substances known to harm human health and the environment. TIlls is, as a result, in part, through the cooperative exchange of information from our sister scientific review committee under the Stockbolm Convention,' said Donald Cooper, Co-Executive Secretary of the Rotterdam Convention.