Proud Moment For The Maldives As The Biggest Environmental Project Is Launched!

On December 15^th, The Greater Male’ Waste-To-Energy Plant has been launched in a special ceremony that was held in Hotel Jen, Male’. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih commenced the project in which Minister of Environment, Climate Change & Technology, Aminath Shauna was also present along with other officials.

‘Modernizing waste management is one of the key policy areas and being able to stop open burning in Thilafushi is a major achievement. It’s a win for the environment, public health and our economy too.’ – Minister Shauna highlighted the importance of the project that has been commenced that will be marked as the biggest environmental project in the Maldives.

Minister Shauna also stressed that once the project is complete at the end of 2023, 60% of the country’s waste problems will be completely solved marking history. The project that is worth USD 304 million, I set to change the very landscape of Thilafushi Island and lay the foundation to efforts to manage waste in a sustainable manner as per the statement made by Minister Shauna.

8 to 8.5 megawatts of electricity can be produced by processing 500 tonnes of waste each day. The operational cost of this facility will be covered by recycling and selling the bottom ash from the production of electricity and through other sources, she stressed in her speech at the ceremony.

Speaking about waste collection, transfer, and disposal at the regional waste management facility on Thilafushi Island, President Solih emphasized the unsustainable way it had been handled in the past. He noted that plumes of smoke produced at Thilafushi, which caused severe air pollution and challenges for residents of Villimalé, had ceased since September 2021.

"Through this project, significant improvements have been made to how we collect, transfer and dispose of waste in the Greater Malé region and other areas. This project is already starting to make a difference," he further noted.