MACKAY HOLDINGS Inc. of Scotland is setting up a manufacturing hub for waste-to-energy products, allowing the Philippines to gain a foothold in the $48-billion global “green” market.
The company wants to put up the facility in Subic, company chair and founder James MacKay said in a briefing.
MacKay said that his company would initially invest at least $50 million to build up to three plants. The product to be manufactured is the Indirectly Fired Gas Turbines (IFGT).
Fuel pellets
The first turbine is expected to be manufactured by mid-October this year.
MacKay Holdings subsidiary MacKay Green Energy owns the technology for manufacturing and operating IFGTs. To complement this technology, MacKay Green Energy has a process that will convert waste material into fuel pellets to be used in the turbines.
About 300 tons of solid waste can be converted into 150 tons of fuel pellets for export or for local use.
MacKay said there is huge demand in Asia and the Middle East for both the pellets and the turbines. In fact, executives from Dubai are now sealing deals worth $40 million to acquire turbines.
MacKay believes that the technology may solve the problem of local governments, which are now seeking ways to maximize their use of landfills.
Metro Manila alone produces 10,000 tons of solid waste a day, according to estimates. Outside Metro Manila, farm waste from crushed sugarcane stalks, corn and even tobacco may be used as fuel material.
According to Terry Brown, president and CEO of MacKay Green Energy, the company has a firm advantage over other firms offering alternative energy products because of its proprietary technology and the quick turnaround in waste facility development following the delivery of turbines.
Replacing landfills
Facilities for other forms of energy may take three to five years to put up while MacKay’s technology and business model allows it to deliver a turbine in about six months. Putting up a waste facility that will generate green energy using the turbines may also take about six months.
MacKay’s turbines use ultra-high temperature to generate energy using metropolitan and farm waste. The use of such materials for power generation may replace landfills, curb dependence on fossil fuels, and earn carbon credits (based on zero carbon output).
Apart from green energy, MacKay is also bringing its healthcare technologies and construction equipment products. Further diversifying its interests in the Philippines, MacKay is developing and selling real estate in prime locations, such as the Makati central business district and Fort Bonifacio Global City.
MacKay Holdings and its subsidiaries are also supporting the MacKay Foundation, which is involved in medical and educational assistance, disaster relief, and youth entrepreneurship, among other advocacies. (Riza T. Olchondra, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
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