And from a gun industry to greener industries, this morning the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics, and E-Governance held a consultation on their Organic Waste to Energy pre-feasibility study.
The consultation brought together key stakeholders for an in-depth look at how waste material can be re-used to generate much-needed energy.
We heard from Ministry Director Ryan Cobb, who today hinted that even the Sargassum plaguing Belize's coast could find new life as green energy.
Ryan Cobb, Director of Energy, Ministry Of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics and E-Governance
"What we are looking at is a pre-feasibility study with the objective of funding two projects of turning organic waste into energy, we are looking at various aspects such as waste from agriculture, from wood processing, agro-processing and even from Sargassum itself, um, the main output of it is not just the energy itself but the actual waste management, one it reduces the need to transport these waste from one location to another to be treated at the source site and two it also provides energy for whatever location that they are currently at. This may be cost-effective or it may be used as a subsidy in the collection and disposal of the waste such as in the case of Sargassum which is. possibility, what we are looking at today is the consultant results of ranking possible sights and we would like to then consult with the various stakeholders that we have in the room, to have a finalized ranking and to see if we can at some point in time then fund two projects."
"We are looking at various things such as complimentary to the ones that we have up north at BELCOGEN and so that could be other agricultural waste. Down south we are looking at the rice farmers, all the rice husks that are left over, we are looking at wood mills so, sawdust we are also looking at different collection sites, municipal collection sites and as well as on the island with Sargassum and in Placencia, sargassum as well."
Cherisse Halsall:
"How does this contribute to the overall greener future for Belize?"
Ryan Cobb
"Well, one it contributes is that energy produced from there is renewable energy so wherever but more than so it talks to the point of sustainability of reducing what in that time would be waste, which is now actually useful input into an energy cycle."
