The new €53 million mechanical and biological treatment plant and bulky waste facility, named Malta North, was inaugurated today by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Environment Minister Leo Brincat.
The main aims of the Maghtab facility, which is co-funded by the EU, are to treat municipal solid waste that canoe be treated at the Sant Antnin facility in Marsascala as well as animal husbandry waste (manure).
The plant is able to treat approximately 66,000 tonnes of mixed municipal solid waste, around 47,000 tonnes of bulky waste and around 39,000 tonnes of animal (mainly cow) manure. It is also expected to generate almost 10 GwH of electrical energy per year. It is split into two main departments – the mechanical treatment plant and the anaerobic digestion plant.
It was explained that the facility will serve to drastically reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.
Speaking at the inauguration, Environment Minister Leo Brincat said this was the biggest national project started and completed by the current administration so far. The contract was signed in December 2013, shortly after the development permits were approved adn works started a few days later. No time was lost, Mr Brincat said. Parts of the plant have now been operating for a few months.
Mr Brincat said Malta now had an increased capacity to treat domestic waste, which meant that a smaller amount of waste would end up in landfills. On the other hand organic waste will be turned into compost and will also be used to generate energy.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said families were experiencing the results of a strong economy, social achievements and environmental progress. He said the time had come to take stock of all the sectors related to the environment and increasing the country's standards. Most importantly, he said, the country needs a government that listens. "We may not always agree but this government's efforts to improve the environment is genuine," he said.
Dr Muscat said the government had invested over €80 million in waste management projects. The Malta North project followed the launch of the autoclave and the Gozo transfer station. The Prime Minister said the government was bringing about a "revolution" in the environment sector, which included the closing of the old Marsa power station and the shift to gas power in Delimara. The government's commitment towards the environment could also be seen through the MEPA split – the environment now has its own authority. Dr Muscat said he was pleased with the public's reception to the new Environment and Resources Authority board, headed by Professor Victor Axiaq.
Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said the EU was experiencing a resources deficit – it was increasing six times the amount of prime materials it exported. While waste management and recycling were important, EU countries also had to reduce the amount of waste generated. Mr Vella said Malta generated around 550kg of waste per person per year. Just 12% is recycled. This is far below the EU average of 450kg of waste per person, of which 40% is recycled.
The EU Commissioner said the plant will not only help Malta reach its waste management targets but will also boost the green economy. Describing the project as "a step in the right direction for Malta," Mr Vella called on the government to come up with more environmental projects, for which the EU has allocated a substantial budget.
In a short address, Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Ian Borg said Malta had been allocated €1.1 billion in EU funds during the period 2007-2014 but, up until two years ago only €300 million had been absorbed. The current administration, he said, had done its utmost to absorb the remaining €700 million, which would otherwise be lost. Projects such as the Malta North plant made good use of these funds, Dr Borg said. He thanked the project managers for completing the project in "record time" while announcing that Malta would be allocating some €200 million in EU funds for other environmental projects.
WasteServ Chairman David Borg said the company's first challenge two and a half years ago was to build a managerial structure, which was lacking. Since then, WasteServ has completed a number of important projects. Mr Borg said the company had been on the verge of losing €40 million but is now generating €700,000 in work every week.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/1KWMPFa
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