Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad visited Fayoum governorate, on Tuesday, to inaugurate the country’s first model to convert waste into energy through anaerobic gasification.
The model is located in the village of Qalhana near Itsa town, Fayoum.
The visit was also attended by: Fayoum Governor Ahmed Al-Ansari; Christian Berger, the EU Ambassador to Egypt; Amr Abdel Meguid, from the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE); Luca Mastripieri, Director of the Italian Agency for Cooperation for Development (AICS); and Ali Abu Sinnah, Deputy Minister of Environment for Projects.
During the visit, Fouad said that the project aims to safely dispose of municipal solid and agricultural waste and use it to produce energy and bio-fertilisers. This is in addition to supporting rural communities in Fayoum Governorate, and improving the standards of living.
She added that this project, which features zero emissions technology, is the first of its kind in Egypt, and serves as a pilot project. It has a capacity of 2.5 tonnes per day, and a production capacity of 100 kWh of electricity from 100 kg/hour of waste. It also provides an environmentally friendly technology that ensures the safe disposal of waste. It also uses an advanced technology system with an economic return that ensures sustainability.
Fouad said that the project relies on decentralisation in waste recycling and exploitation, which contributes to eliminating the problem of collecting municipal solid waste from the source. It also provides permanent job opportunities for young people in local communities.
She further noted that the project contributes to limiting the spread of infectious diseases resulting from the accumulation of waste and mosquitoes. At the same time, it prevents the indiscriminate burning of waste, which causes air pollution and the spread of polluted gases, and also provides job opportunities for young people in rural areas.
