The Government of St. Lucia signed an agreement with IGE Island Green Energy and Sault Ste. Marie's Elementa Group, a Sault Ste. Marie energy company with a technology that converts household garbage into clean energy.
Island Energy and Elementa inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Caribbean nation to build a non-incineration waste-to-energy facility to process the island's municipal solid waste. The proposed facility will divert more than 45,000 tonnes of municipal waste from two landfills, while generating seven megawatts of energy, enough power for 6,000 homes.
Guy Joseph, Minister of Communications, Works, Transport & Public Utilities for the Caribbean nation, was in the Sault Oct. 17 to approve the deal and tour Elementa’s pilot plant at the city landfill site.
The Elementa process is a patented steam reformation technology that converts solid waste into a clean, synthetic gas – similar to natural gas – which can be used for power generation.
The technology has the potential to solve the chronic problem of growing piles of garbage in most municipalities, but can also significantly reduce the emission of methane gas at landfills.
The company has been operating a demonstration facility in the Sault since 2007.
Site preparation work has already begun to build a full-scale commercial plant in the city's west end this fall.
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