The proposed 45MW waste to energy plant in Ruai, Nairobi, might take off soon.
The National Environment Management Authority has asked the public to submit comments on an environmental impact assessment study report for the proposed project.
In a notice in the dailies Nema said it received an environmental impact assessment study report from Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC for the proposed project.
This is pursuant to regulations 21 of Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Impact Assessment and Audit) Regulations 2005.
Environmental Impact Assessment is a critical examination of the effects of a project on the environment.
Any proponent of a project should conduct an EIA and prepare a report and submit it to Nema.
The EIA must be done by a registered and licensed EIA/EA expert by Nema.
The EIA must be conducted before the commencement of the project.
The goal of EIA is to ensure that decisions on proposed projects and activities are environmentally sustainable.
It guides policymakers, planners, stakeholders and government agencies to make environmentally and economically sustainable decisions.
It is therefore a legal requirement to carry out an EIA before the commencement of the project.The EIA process requires that a proponent shall seek views of persons who may be affected by the project.The proponent shall be issued with an EIA license before the commencement of the project.With a market share of 65 per cent and an installed capacity of 1,817.82MW, KenGen is the largest energy producer in Kenya.“The proponent, Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC intends to develop a waste-to-energy plant and achieve a power output of 45MW by utilising Municipal solid waste as fuel feedback for power generation at Ruai in Kasarani subcounty in Nairobi county,” Nema said in the notice.The authority said uncollected and illegally or improperly disposed waste poses serious risks to public health and the environment which usually leads to downstream costs higher than what it would have cost to manage the waste properly in the first place.“This project seeks to address solid waste management challenges within the Nairobi Metropolitan region experiencing increased environmental pollution," Nema said."[This is] due to the current poor municipal solid waste disposal practices from its growing urbanisation and population as part of national solid waste management strategy 2014.”The authority said the move is in accordance with a constitutional guarantee to every citizen on access to a clean and healthy environment.Nema further said the move is a step towards taking measures for greenhouse gas emissions reduction of more than […]