Construction work officially began on Vietnam’s first waste treatment plant capable of generating electricity from industrial wastes on September 19.

The plant is located in t he Nam Son waste treatment complex in Hanoi ’s suburban Soc Son district.

The system will use advanced Japanese incinerators to convert heat from the industrial and hazardous garbage treatment process into electricity.

Once completed, the system will be capable of treating 75 tonnes of waste per day and producing 1,930 kW of electricity.

The plant is being built at a cost of over 612 billion VND (about 28.7 million USD), of which over 472 billion VND (22 million USD) has come from non-refundable aid gifted by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation.

The plant is scheduled to become operational by 2014. It is expected to contribute to improving efficiency of energy use and environmental protection in Hanoi , while reducing pressure on solid waste landfills in the city and thoroughly treating industrial waste from the capital and its surrounding areas.

Energy generated from waste treatment is going to be reused for the Nam Son complex’s operation.

According to Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Vu Hong Khanh, the project will serve as a model for the city’s master plan on solid waste treatment to 2030, which aims to access latest technologies to generate electricity from the burning of solid and toxic waste.-VNA