Two biogas projects under development in Middle East

Two biogas projects have recently been announced in the Middle East; a landfill gas project in Lebanon and an anaerobic digestion facility in Pakistan.

In mid-July, GE announced it is supplying a Jenbacher engine to a landfill gas-to-energy project operated by Averda International in Naameh, Leganon, near Beirut. The product will be powered by a Jenbacher J312 landfill gas engine, with the potential to generate approximately 637 kW of power.

According to GE, the pilot scale project could be expanded in the future to take full advantage of the landfill, which is the largest sanitary controlled landfill in Lebanon. The project is currently scheduled to become operational during the final quarter of 2013.

“GE has long-term partnerships in Lebanon where we support the country’s public and private sectors in strengthening energy sector efficiencies,” said Nabil Habayeb, GE president and CEO for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region. “The potential benefit of the Naameh project is that it could encourage other landfill sites to use the gas that is currently being flared for conversion to electricity. The contribution of the project to the environment and the energy sector makes it a great value to the community. The project reiterates our commitment to introduce advanced technologies to Lebanon to support sustainable energy initiatives. We are honored to be part of this initiative and thank our collaborators for their trust in our competencies.”

The project in Pakistan, announced in early July, involves the establishment of an anaerobic digestion facility in Landhi Cattle Colony region. Once operational, the facility will convert 4,200 tons of cattle waste and 700 tons of food waste per day into biogas used to generate up to 30 MW of power. The project will be developed in two phases, each establishing 15 MW of capacity.

The International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group, signed a joint development agreement with Karachi Electric Supply Compnay, Aman Foundation and its collaborative initiative, and Karachi Organic Energy Ltd. to develop the project. According to information released by KESC, the project marks the first time in Pakistan that renewable energy will be utilized on a large scale.

"This project is a prime example of how innovation can be used to tackle some of Pakistan's most pressing development issues," said Mouayed Makhlouf, IFC director for the Middle East and North Africa. In addition to providing KOEL with seed capital, IFC is advising the company on the development of the biogas plant