Durban - The eThekwini municipality will proceed with a project to generate electricity from landfill gas at Bisasar Road after the successful completion of two pilot projects.
Lindsay Strachan, the project manager of the clean development mechanism project, said yesterday: "We have environmental approval and are going ahead with the construction."
The Bisasar Road project could generate up to 8 megawatts of electricity from landfill gas. Phase one will cost R40 million, partly funded by the sale of carbon credits.
Pilot projects at Marianhill and La Mercy cost R19.5 million and already supply 1.5MW of electricity. Revenue over their 14-year life will be R20.7 million from carbon credit sales and R13.2 million in electricity sales. Annual costs are R1.2 million.
eThekwini has signed for a R59.74 million loan with French development bank AFD. The trade and industry department will provide R17.7 million for critical infrastructure.
Bisasar Road is South Africa's busiest landfill, handling up to 5 000 tons of rubbish a day.
The methane gas generated by the rubbish, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, is extracted at low pressure and blown into a flare unit to generate electricity.
Strachan said the sites would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons over their life spans.