Friday, 01 October 2021

DP and JSC cooperate to improve the waste treatment situation in Quang Ninh, Vietnam

According to a January 2020 article published by the World Economic Forum, the situation for waste in Vietnam is “a combination of rising consumption and poor national waste management”. The thriving economy and growth in population is contributing to Waste generated between 2004 and 2015 increased from 15.6 million tons to 27.8 million tons annually. Furthermore, estimations assume an increase of municipal solid waste quantity by 10 to 16 percent every year, so that the quantity per capita will quadruple in the next 15 years.  Another contemporary study estimates that up to 85% of the waste generated is landfilled without treatment and that up to 80% of these landfills are unsanitary. There is a pressing need to address the problem. DP has signed a contract with Indevco JSC to improve the situation in the north eastern province of Quang Ninh, the site of the world famous Ha Long Bay.  Indevco intends to build a new sanitary landfill as a first step towards the creation of a waste management integrated centre.
 
Indevco Group J.S.C is the concessionaire for waste treatment for the region and has a vision to develop responsible and effective long-term solutions for waste management. The sanitary landfill is the first step in a broader plan for an integrated waste management centre for the area. 
 
Since 2016, 530tpd of unsorted and untreated waste have been dumped into a temporary storage area. The new 2million tonne capacity sanitary landfill will accept and treat waste from this old landfill, as well as new, incoming waste. At the same time, a state-of-the-art 750-800tpd WtE facility is being developed that will eventually replace the landfilling activity. This WtE facility will convert waste to electricity, combusting excavated and sorted waste from the landfills as well as incoming fresh MSW of 550-600tpd. Over time, the landfills will be stabilised and reduced in size, acting as a backup facility. An existing 900tpd WtE facility will be overhauled to accept industrial and hazardous waste. This phased, holistic approach is both a realistic and responsible response to the waste management program in Vietnam.  Integrating technologies and design expertise at the outset to provide total solutions will maximise operational efficiencies and improve environmental and economic outcomes.
 
The technical challenges are real. Regulations in Vietnam require waste management developments to be at least 1km from household settlements, which means that there is only 600ha available for implementation in this area. In addition, the topology and the extreme rainfall make it very challenging to manage surface water and leachate to required EU standards. DP’s expertise, experience and proactive approach has been key to gaining Indevco’s trust for the design of this solution. Despite the lockdown conditions of the last 18 months DP demonstrated ingenuity and persistence in conducting topographical surveys using sophisticated drone technology, showing commitment to the project as well as the required technical expertise for the design of an effective solution.