Large amounts of landfill gas can be collected as a fuel for waste-to-energy projects, whereby the landfill gas is often complemented with natural gas to ensure a stable fuel source.
At the landfill next to the South Tripoli Gas Power Station, part of the waste is being burned in the open which negatively impacts the station. According to the station’s head of automatic control system, Abdul Sattar Al-Nayli, the smoke and ash of trash fire has been blocking the air filters which forced GECOL to halt operations at the power station.
Eager to avert the risk of further shutdowns and operational losses, the South Tripoli Gas Power Station proposed to either burn part of the landfill safely for power generation, or use methane emissions from the landfill for co-firing.
Ideally, Mr. Al-Nayli would like to close down the landfill entirely and build a new combined-cycle fired power station on the site. "We could build a new power plant on the landfill's ground with an output capacity of 2,000 megawatts, which will be a great strategic project,” he told local media.
The proposed CCGT project could benefit from the existing gas supply infrastructure of the South Tripoli Power Station, but it is questionable if the government can dedicate enough upfront funding to make it attractive for foreign investors.