Aqualectra and Selikor sign agreement for waste treatment

Auditorium of Selikor NV, to develop, construct and operate a plant to burn waste with the objective of producing energy. For years, Curaçao has had minimal facilities to process waste; that is why alternative ways to process waste have been sought for years. At present, Selikor processes a large part of our waste at Malpais and recycles part of it. Selikor Manager, Mr. Wesley Kook, explained, during a meeting with the press, the principal reasons why it is necessary to introduce a modern system to deal with waste. The waste issue is growing continuously in our community and alternatives and new methods must be found to eliminate waste. As the company in charge of waste management in Curaçao, Selikor is closely following innovative technologies in order to guarantee a responsible management and contribute to a sustainable environment. Taking into account the amount of waste that Selikor registers every day at landfill Malpais, it becomes imperative to take the necessary steps to prolong the life of our landfill. Manager of Aqualectra, Mr. Anthon Casperson, on his part put forward that burning waste is an interesting alternative for processing waste for Aqualectra. Burning waste produces energy that can be used to produce steam and gas which can be used to generate power. This generating of power makes it even more interesting for Aqualectra to start cooperating with Selikor to study the possibilities to realize an installation that can burn waste and produce power. Such an installation is called a Waste to Energy Plant (WTEP). This will definitely contribute in the provision of energy on our island in order to be less dependent of fuel which is also part of Plan 2030. It will be possible to produce a minimum of 7 MW and up to a maximum of 18 MW with this WTEP, which is the equivalent of 7 to 18% of the present use of power on our island. Also present at the meeting with the press was the Commissioner in charge of both government corporations who also pointed out the importance of bringing alternatives that can be beneficial to our community. The objective of the MOU is a cooperation between Aqualectra and Selikor to realize an installation to burn waste (WTEP) which can also generate power, and how this will be done will be defined in a document that will make a complete study of the procedure. At the end of the procedure, the location where the plant to burn waste to produce energy will be located, the technology that will be applied, the legal, fiscal, operational and financial structure, the rates, and the communication plan that will have to support this project will be known. It is expected that the plant will be operational in 2014. With this initiative, the two government corporations show once again that when you join forces, it will be possible to realize great achievements. This is another step in the direction of reaching a healthier and more sustainable environment and realize a production of energy that is cleaner and more economical.