AGRIPOWER TOP BRASS. (From left) Barry Berman (AgriPower CEO and President), Van Dyk Manager, Councilor Jun Lavadia, Tony Kahn (Agripower Vice President) and Filipino Engr. Edgardo Rivera (Disruptive CEO).
Inset are Mario T. Supnad and Bataan Gov. Albert S. Garcia. Photo below is the Van Dyk Fully Automated MRF installation at SIMS Facility in Brooklyn, New York. The MRF has a capacity to process 1,000 tons per day of MSW before loading the sorted and segregated combustibles to the AgriPower Double Combustion Clean Technology Waste to Energy (WtE) to generate energy (combined heat and power).
(Photos courtesy of AgriPower)
By THEPHILBIZNEWS STAFF
With the putting up soon of a P25-billion Waste-to-Energy ($500M-WtE) facility in Bataan by a New York-based firm, the once insoluble waste and energy problems of the province can now be solved.
In his letter to Gov. Albert S. Garcia, through Mario T. Supnad, consultant to the Office of the governor, Barry J. Berman, Chief Executive of AgriPower Inc., said: “AgriPower’s Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) system provides a complete End-to-End solution that will enable 90% of Bataan’s MSW to be diverted away from its landfill and achieve a 90 percent diversion rate.”
Berman pointed out that among the state-of-the art features of AgriPower are:
• Convert odorous and unsightly landfills into clean and safe commercial properties or parks.
• Eliminate CO2 and other hazardous gas emissions emanating from landfills
• Eliminate leachate water, pathogen, rodent and insect problems at the site of the project;
• Double Combustion Clean Technology ensures low emission and compliance to environmental regulations.
• Automated MRF System ensures non-exposure of waste pickers to health hazards in landfills and automatic segregation of waste into combustibles, organics, recyclables and aggregates.
The series of long-distance and video calls made by Berman, Supnad and Engr. Edgardo Rivera, a Philippine-based Exclusive representative/distributor of AgriPower, led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. firm represented by Berman and the province of Bataan through Gov. Garcia last month.
Berman also pointed out in his letter that the project would have “no need for external water source (for cooling and steam generation) and wastewater treatment facility as required by other WtE technology. AgriPower uses water recirculating system for this purpose.”
He stated in the letter that the facility provides: “Conversion of MSW and other health-hazard waste materials (e.g. industrial waste, sludge, animal and human wastes, etc.) into safe and valuable commodities such as clean energy, high-quality compost and recyclables; and “Reduces air pollution by reducing the traffic of dump trucks hauling wastes into a central station (e.g. for distributed WtE configuration).”
Other benefits of the AgriPower Integrated WtE Facility to be introduced in the province are:
• Effective waste management system compliant to RA-9003 Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
• Reduces current waste disposal costs.
• Generates additional 100-MW of power to help energize various industries and help spur the economic developments in the province.
• Generates additional revenues for the province from the sale of WtE by-products such as power, compost and recyclables.
• Generates new jobs for the local workers in Bataan.
• Landfill areas eliminated by WtE technology can now be used or rented for commercial purposes.
• Attracts investments in the province by having a clean environment.
• The modular, transportable and scalable WtE system can located near the sub-station to reduce the costs of power transmission and minimize line losses.
• System has the flexibility to be configured for distributed power generation (e.g. mini grids). “
Berman added: “The AgriPower Integrated Waste to Energy Project under the Public- Private-Partnership (PPP) Program of PGB is a win-win solution for the waste and energy problems in the province of Bataan and in the country in general.”
Engr. Rivera, AgriPower’s exclusive representative/distributor in the Philippines, introduced in the country the unique AgriPower clean energy technology which is modular, transportable and scalable WtE System.
While in the U.S. in 2018 and 2019, Engr. Rivera together with the top executives of AgriPower met with the officials of US Eximbank, US Department of Commerce and various private investors for potential WtE project funding in the Philippines.
During the US visits, Engr. Rivera also led Philippine delegations for the demonstration tours of AgriPower Combined Heat and Power (CHP) WtE in Pennsylvania, Van Dyk (strategic technology partner of AgriPower) Automated MRF System in Brooklyn New York, Van Dyk HQ and spare parts depot in Connecticut and the new AgriPower manufacturing plant near Dubois Airport also in Pennsylvania.
Despite the pandemic that has almost paralyzed most economic activities in the world, Supnad, a practicing journalist, Engr. Rivera and Berman of AgriPower continued to work together for the project, that paved the way for the formal signing of the MOU.
