Arroyo to unveil RP's 1st energy plant that uses landfill gas

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inaugurate on Thursday the country's first landfill gas-to-energy project in Rodriguez town in Rizal province. The Montalban Landfill Methane Recovery and Electricity Generation Project will capture the landfill gas methane from the Montalban Sanitary Landfill to produce electricity for the town, according to a Malacañang statement issued on Wednesday. Arroyo will inspect the facilities and lead the ceremonial switch-on of the facility in Barangay San Isidro. The $33-million (P1.65 billion) facility is a build-own-operate project of the Montalban Methane Power Corp. (MMPC). The Philippines will have a foreign exchange savings of $94 million over the 10-year life of the project, based on current oil prices of about $130 per barrel, according to the Palace statement. It is also expected to benefit the environment as the project breaks down methane gas, a greenhouse gas that's 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. According to the Palace statement: "This methane gas facility of Montalban Methane Power Corp. (MMPC) follows the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initiative and provides carbon credits for developed countries under category of projects that reduce emissions in developing economies under the Clean Development Mechanism." The power plant project in Montalban is a candidate for a Gold Standard (GS) Clean Development Mechanism status. - GMANews.TV