Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) and a German biogas technology firm said they are set to build the first industrial biogas plants using wastes from pineapples and other fruits to generate clean energy.
In a statement, the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) announced the partnership between MPIC subsidiary MetPower Venture Partners and Lipp GmbH in developing two plants that will use farm waste and convert it into biogas.
The biogas plants, to be located in Mindanao, will process Dole Philippines’ pineapple waste and generate it to clean energy to replace fossil fuel for power, steam, and heat generation. The deal forms part of MetPower’s Php1 billion waste-to-energy project with the agribusiness firm. It will focus on deriving biogas from fruit waste from Dole’s farm and factories in South Cotabato (photo above).
The project aims to generate 5.7 megawatts of clean energy for Dole and contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emission by 100,000 tons per year.
Lipp GmbH managing director Manuel Lipp said the future sees huge potential for biogas production in the country, adding that it is important to train employees to ensure the safety and maintenance of biogas plants.
Relative to this, the GPCCI and German Biogas Association (GBA) also recently held a comprehensive training series on the functionality, use, and maintenance of biogas systems in the Philippines.
“As an agricultural country, the Philippines has great potential to process large quantities of biowaste into biogas and in doing so, reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Despite the potential to generate green energy while sustainably managing organic waste, high-yield biogas technology is still not widespread in the Philippines,” GPCCI said.
