Canada-headed organic waste treatment plant operators and technology providers Anaergia Inc., has announced that its South African subsidiary, Anaergia Africa (Pty) Ltd, was selected by Bio2Watt (Pty) Ltd to operate a commercial biogas plant in Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa. The Bronkhorstspruit plant takes in agricultural and other organic waste and converts it to electricity. The plant has the capacity to generate 4.6MW of electricity, and it is connected to the power grid.
Bio2Watt (Pty) Ltd. is an independent power producer (IPP) of green energy electricity from a variety of organic sources. It has initiated commercial large-scale waste-to-energy projects in South Africa and is also currently focusing on small on-site projects to the industrial sector with the ability to produce and supply electricity directly to the existing power grid or via a direct supply to industry.
Anaergia’s unparalleled technical capabilities and international experience led to the decision to appoint this company. We are thrilled to be able to tap into this expertise, to help us achieve the highest safety and reliability standards at the Bronkhorstspruit plant, said Sean Thomas, Managing Director of Bio2Watt in a statement.
In its energy generation processes, Bio2Watt uses agricultural and organic waste that typically goes into landfills. Anaergia Africa (Pty) Ltd began its new role at the Bio2Watt biogas plant in Bronkhorstspruit on July 18, 2016.
We believe that there are tremendous opportunities to convert organic waste into clean energy in Africa. We are especially pleased to be working with Bio2Watt as it pioneers the conversion of agricultural waste streams into reliable renewable energy, noted Dr Andrew Benedek, CEO of Anaergia Inc.
Bio2Watt’s Bronkhorstspruit plant is located on the premises Beefcor, one of South Africa’s larger feedlots and an agricultural stronghold in Gauteng. The location provides the plant with proximity to key fuel supplies, grid access and sufficient water supplied by Beefcor’s stormwater collection dams.
The City of Tshwane is also a key supplier of waste to the project. The biogas process relies on organic waste, which is directed into a digester where biogas is produced and then goes into a gas engine to produce electricity. This is connected to the power grid for uptake by power purchasers like BMW.
Bio2Watt began supplying green energy to BMW’s Rosslyn plant in Pretoria in October last year. Anaergia has built over 300 biogas plants worldwide. We’re thrilled to be able to tap into this expertise, along with the company’s local presence, to help us achieve the highest safety and reliability standards at the Bronkhorstspruit plant, said Thomas.
Additional projects planned
Bio2Watt has recently submitted a bid to the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) for a 4.8 MW project on a dairy farm north of Cape Town. Bio2Watt is hoping to learn whether this bid was successful soon. Meanwhile, Thomas says that the company is involved in a number of potential new biogas projects together with Anaergia Africa as its technology provider in South Africa, and elsewhere on the continent.
We have kick-started an industry from waste and have created a precedent in South Africa to show that it actually can be done. I have always said that the fact that we have come this far is a testament to powerful partnerships – BMW, City of Tshwane, Beefcor and various committed funders including the IDC and Norfund. And now we have a new partnership with Anaergia that gives us another edge, ended Sean Thomas.
