DENR unveils project to turn garbage into electricity at Manila dump

MANILA (AP) - Methane generated by a sprawling and deadly garbage dump here will be converted into power for a nearby shantytown under an Italian-funded project unveiled Tuesday, officials said.

The P200 million (US$4.3 million) project at the Payatas dump in Manila's suburban Quezon city aims to convert 5,000 tons of methane every year, amounting to 40,000 megawatts of power in ten years, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said in a statement.

A conversion plant to be built at the 29-hectare (72-acre) dump should be operational by November, Reyes said.

Aside from generating power, the project will also reduce harmful gas emissions that endanger the health of people living in shanties near the dump and that contribute to global warming, Reyes said.