Published on 14/05/2015
Cabinet backs Ayutthaya waste project The cabinet has given the green light for a solid waste management project in Ayutthaya province, deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd says. Speaking after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Maj Gen Sansern said the Cabinet acknowledged progress of the project proposed by the Interior Ministry (MOI) He said the construction of waste treatment sites will be divided into a landfill and incinerator power plant. The landfill will be built on 372 rai of state land under the supervision of the Treasury Department in Ayutthaya’s Bang Ban district. A land survey and design work were carried out by the Public Works and Town and Country Planning while a firm was hired to oversee construction which is scheduled to end by August. The project is worth 369 million baht. Around 200,000 tonnes of solid waste in a landfill in tambon Ban Pom of Muang district will be relocated to the new site, according to Maj Gen Sansern. As for the incinerator power plant supervised by the Provincial Electricity Authority, the plant's design will be drawn up by Suranaree University of Technology, while a private company will be responsible for construction. Plants with two different solid waste management systems will be built. The first system will separate materials in solid waste and change them into refusederived fuel. Construction is expected to end by January next year. The second system harnesses waste combustion technology in which garbage will be turned into 3,800 kilowatts of electric power. The plant will open in March 2017. “The waste problem in Ayutthaya is a serious issue. This project will be a good model for intergrated solid waste management elsewhere in which waste can be transformed into energy, “Maj Gen Sansern said.
He said the MOI also will work with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to look for suitable areas for incinerator power plants in other provinces. The survey showed 24 provinces also have potential to develop the plants. The Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has designated areas for waste-to-energy projects in 24 provinces: Ayutthaya, Buri Ram, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Loei, Lop Buri, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phatthalung, Phitsanulok, Phuket, Rayong, Samut Prakan, Songkhla, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and Yala. Around 15 plants are expected to be built this year in response to the National Council for Peace and Order’s solid waste treatment plan.