US Company Wants to Build Waste-to-Energy Plant in Monrovia

I hate to simply reprint a press release from a corporation, but this is interesting:

CHERRY HILL, NJ -- (MARKET WIRE) -- October 18, 2006 -- A United States environmental and electricity firm, BioEnergy, Inc., has proposed to build, own, and operate several waste-to-energy plants in Liberia. As presented in the two-day National Energy Stakeholders Forum held on October 5-6, 2006, in Monrovia, BioEnergy, Inc. has proposed to first utilize Monrovia City's garbage as a fuel source for the country's first waste-to-energy plant. The company plans to incinerate garbage found on the streets of Monrovia in a waste-to-energy plant that will produce approximately twelve megawatts of power for the people of Liberia.

BioEnergy plans to work with the Liberian Electricity Corporation (LEC) and Minister of Lands, Mines, and Energy to implement the plan and to co-invest in the needed transmission and distribution lines to achieve their goals. The company is not seeking any guarantees or investments by the Liberian government and plans to operate the facility as a private corporation run by Liberians and BioEnergy experts. [At least they talk a good game, huh? -Ed.]

BioEnergy has future plans to electrify rural Liberia by employing Liberian farmers to produce energy crops such as rice, corn, and palm kernels. The waste from the farm crop will be used as environmentally friendly fuel sources while promoting food production and jobs in Liberia.

At present, BioEnergy has submitted a Memorandum of Understanding to the various city and government officials for review and approval.

BioEnergy, Inc. is a United States environmental and electricity company whose mission is to implement sustainable living projects related to electricity and the environment.

For more information, visit, http://www.IntelliBioEnergy.com.

I wish we could have attended that conference! Wonder what else went on there, what other proposals came out. Monrovia certainly has municipal waste to burn. Here's a primer on waste-to-energy from wikipedia, probably written by lackeys of the industry.

As this kind of FDI starts coming in, I wonder how much Liberia's historically "rent-seeking" legislature will continue to seek rents and scuttle projects from investors who won't play the game. We need an interview with one of these anti-corruption people working with the government!

P.S. Speaking of energy, every day more street lights are coming on in Monrovia, small-small.