‘GAM to generate electricity from landfill’

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will start generating electricity by burning methane from Ghabawi landfill by the end of 2017, a municipal official said on Tuesday.

Five megawatts per hour are expected to be generated when the project's third phase concludes late next year, according to Zaidoun Nsour, Amman city director's consultant for environmental affairs.

Methane gas produced at landfills is a strong agent of global climate change, Nsour said, explaining that it has 21 times the negative impact of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere.

"The municipality collects methane gas at Ghabawi landfill and burns it away to prevent it from being released into the air, in order to protect the environment. Now, plans are under way to benefit from the collected biogas in the generation of electricity," Nsour told The Jordan Times.

Work is in progress on the project's second phase, which entails the drilling of wells to collect methane, he said, noting that a total of 2,800 tonnes of municipal waste is dumped at the Ghabawi landfill every day.

Situated some 25 kilometres east of Amman, the landfill serves the capital and the central region. It stretches over 3,000 square metres. 

"The generated electricity will be used to power the landfill, while the remainder will be sent back to the national grid," Nsour highlighted.

Noting that the municipality's annual electricity bill reaches JD11 million, the consultant said that the project will protect the environment as well as reducing GAM's expenditures.