HCMC has paid great attention to developing green energy sources for self-sustaining part of the electricity demand and protecting the environment. Due to its geographical characteristics and limited landmass, HCMC does not have the potential to develop green energy sources such as hydroelectricity and wind power. HCMC has prioritized developing 2 green energy sources: rooftop solar and municipal solid waste-to-energy (WtE).
With an actual population of nearly 14 million, HCMC produces about 13,000 tonnes of garbage daily, comprised of 8,300 – 8,500 tonnes of household waste, 1,500 – 2,000 tonnes of industrial waste, 1,200 – 1,600 tonnes of construction waste, and over 2,000 tons of sludge of all types. Waste is mainly disposed at landfills, 76% of which takes place in Phuoc Hiep Landfill (Cu Chi District) and Da Phuc Landfill (Binh Chanh District).
Effective management and control of municipal solid waste have become an urgent issue. HCMC has set the 2025 goal of a minimum of 80% of household waste being recycled and processed using new technology (WtE incineration).
Facing this need, many waste treatment plants are gradually transitioning from landfill to waste-to-energy incineration. Between 2023 and 2025, HCMC will have built the following solid waste treatment and energy recovery plants: i) Tam Sinh Nghia Waste-to-Energy Plant with a generating capacity of about 40MW; ii) VietStar Waste-to-Energy Plant with a capacity of about 40MW; iii) Tasco Waste-to-Energy Plant with a capacity of about 40MW; iv) A plasma gasification plant planned for the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex, Binh Chanh District, with a designed capacity of 57,68MW;
Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) is ready to take part in the development of green energy from the solid waste by investing in electrical infrastructure to distribute the capacity of all waste-to-energy plants. A standout of this investment is EVNHCMC beginning construction of the 110kV Phuoc Hiep Substation to distribute the power generation capacity of the entire Phuoc Hiep Waste Complex (Cu Chi District) on an area reaching 687ha.
In addition, EVNHCMC also commits to offtake all green electricity from the aforementioned sources under governmental favorable electricity pricing schemes, so that investors can be assured of capital recovery and continue to reinvest in other future green energy projects.