By Hoang Phi - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC - Vietnam Waste Solutions Co. (VWS) has unveiled the design of a green waste treatment plant it plans to construct in Long An Province.
The plant, which requires investment of US$700 million to US$1 billion, will be implemented within 20 years, said David Duong, general director of VWS. When in place, the facility can handle 40,000 tons of waste discharged daily from Southern provinces.
VWS has spent US$7-8 million on conducting a geological survey and feasibility study as well as designing a set of construction works with the help of U.S. environment specialists.
During the first phase, the firm will pump US$100 million into the project and it will call for further investment into on-going works.
Covering 1,760 hectares, the garbage treatment plant is surrounded by trees and canals. It has an environment training center nearby and consists of standard landfills and a hi-tech sewage treatment facility, a compost fertilizer factory and a garbage-to-power plant with a closed system.
Duong said his company will collaborate with the authorities of Southern provinces to build garbage transfer stations in order to deliver huge amounts of waste to the facility for treatment.
The waste treatment complex can handle different types of waste from hazardous waste, medical waste, industrial waste, electronic waste and sludge to wastewater. It aims to meet the waste treatment demands of HCMC, Long An and the Southern Economic Zone.
VWS is set to complete an environmental impact assessment report by October and a feasibility study two months later, paving the way for the plant’s timely operation by the end of next year.
When the waste treatment facility is up and running, it will create jobs for 8,000-10,000 people.