Egyptian Environment Minister Yasmin Fouad announced that the government has prepared a tariff for the sale of energy from waste (EfW), in cooperation with the Electricity Ministry.
All procedures are being finalized with the Finance Ministry and will be announced within weeks, the al-Borsa newspaper reported Fouad as saying.
The minister said that the tariff per kilowatt-hour to be announced will be fixed for all types of waste, whether organic, inorganic or agricultural. The minister did not disclose the value of tariff, but specified that it would be “encouraging for investment in this field.”
The Cabinet had issued an indicative tariff in 2015, setting the price for the kilowatt-hour of EfW at 92 piasters, which was objected by the investors at that time; it was agreed to amend the tariff and issue a law after consultation with the Ministries of Electricity, Environment and Finance.
The Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) issued a publication to the distribution companies to contract companies wishing to sell EfW at 103 piasters per kilowatt-hour until the Cabinet issues an official decision regarding the tariff.
Fouad said that the government is also implementing a national program in four governorates over the next six years for waste management, funded by the European Union at 60 million euros.
The program aims to protect the environment from the negative effects of poor waste management, provide jobs for young people in the field of solid waste, and support the establishment of an independent national entity in the EfW field.
Fouad added that the Environment Ministry prepared a clear map and has full information on the problem of waste collection across the country, and that the capabilities of the ministries of military production and local development will help in the success of the system.
She said that she is heading to Germany on Sunday as part of a ministerial delegation that includes the Minister of Military Production Mohamed al-Assar and the Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi to learn about the German technology in the field of solid waste management.
