South Africa: Waste‐to energy solutions

Dr Jenitha Badul, Senior Policy Advisor

Greening Programmes and Fund, Department of
Environmental Affairs, South Africa
Biogas for Productive uses, Industrial & Mobility Application
Vienna Energy Forum 17 – 20 June 2015
Legislative and Regulatory requirements
South Africa has a strong regulative and legislative environment especially on the
environment sector. In the absence of a dedicated legislative framework for biogas, a
plethora of Acts and Regulations need to be consulted prior to the approval for the
development of a biogas plant.

These include:

• National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)

• National Environmental Waste Act (NEM;WA)
• National Environmental Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA
• National Environmental Biodiversity Act (NEM:BA)
• National Environmental Protected Areas Act (NEM:PAA)
• National Heritage Act
• National Gas Act
• National Water Act
• Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act
• Municipal planning regulations
 Approval Process
The approval process can process can be quite lengthy and costly

• Specialist studies are required

• Ensuring adherence to all the relevant regulations

• Cost implications can be significant – can cost as much as R5m

= Eur 358 000

• The approval process can take 3 -5 years

 South African Situation
• Although the Waste Management Act promotes the diversion of organic
waste from landfill this is yet to be achieved

• Food Security means that the use of energy crops are not an viable option

• Access to Grid needs approval

• Limited knowledge on Biogas

• Preferred option/available incentives directed to solar and wind

(legislative framework)

• Lack of norms and standards for biogas industry

 How to make biogas technology/
infrastructure development feasible
• Change in policy – address issues related to biogas application in national,
provincial and local policy to ensure to promote application of technology and
bridge barriers - Input into policy development key stakeholders is crucial
• Investor confidence and government support – incentivise biogas applications/
securing of donor funding for biogas applications important – initiate pilot studies
to promote the upscale and establish relevant market
• Setting of norms and standards
• Focus on a decentralised system vs Grid connection
• Skills development – addressing skills gap
• Education and Awareness – Improve on the current knowledge-base to clarify
misconceptions w.r.t. technology
Main Drivers for Biogas applications

Off take
Collection of - Gas
Gate Fees - Electricity
(feedstock) (CHP)
- Heat

Production of
organic fertilizer
(nutrient GHG mitigation
recycling)
 What solutions or advantages do Biogas
applications bring to SA
• Organic waste management solution
• Viable offset programme – one of the requirements of the proposed carbon tax in SA
is that companies should invest in offset programmes if CO2 emissions are above a
certain threshold
• Skills Development – especially much needed scarce skills
• Job Creation– thus contributing to the country’s job target of 6 000 000 jobs by 2019
• Energy poverty addressed – can positively contribute to the energy scarcity currently
faced by SA
• New and emerging market opportunity - SMME development

Solutions link closely to key priorities outlined in the Country’s National

Development Plan 2030
 Waste Scenario in South Africa
(per annum)
Waste

• Financial year 108 million tons

• Allocation
General Waste
Hazardous &
unclassified
59 million tons 49 million tons

Biomass from
Organic waste Other
industry
36 million tons 3 million tons 20 million tons

Waste from
Other
SMEs
18 million tons 18 million tons

Agro-processing
Other
industry
9 million tons 9 million tons
 Organic Waste Categories
Applicable to the following:

• Piggery

• Dairy milking parlour

• Beef feedlot

• Broiler/Layer Chickens

• Hospitality Industry Institutions: Hotels, Schools, Hospitals

• Municipal Waste Effluent

• Waste Water Treatment

• Abattoirs and other Agro-Processors – fruit and Vegetable (high moisture content)
UNIDO/GEF Funded Project in partnership
with DEA

Objective:
To promote market based adoption of integrated biogas
technology in small and medium and micro-scale
enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa in support of
government priorities, reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and promote poverty alleviation
 Components
# Component Expected Outcome
1 Capacity Building and Capacity of market players and enablers
Biogas Technology strengthened and biogas technology support
Support System system established
2 Biogas Market Market environment strengthened and regulatory
Development and framework developed
Regulatory Framework
3 Technology Technical feasibility and commercial viability of
Demonstration waste to energy and other low-carbon technologies
4 Scaling up Investment to waste to energy and other low
carbon technologies promoted
 Project status and next
PIFF •PIFF approved in April 2014
step
•Stakeholder workshop conducted in November 2014
Consultation
• Project proposals compiled by project developers following clear
Proposals set of criteria

• Screening currently undertaken

Evaluation
• Validation workshop on 1 July 2015

Focussed • One on One consultation to take place

Consultation with screened applicants
• Project to be implemented
 Project selection criteria
• 400 kW-1.5 MW
• Sector: Agro-processing (primary and processing).
• Feedstock: waste from agro-processing, food-waste, crops - single source or a mixture with
compatible waste from other sources.
• Gas use: heat; electricity; CNG (vehicle and industry).
• Digestate/effluent use plan available
• GHG emission reductions: Reductions demonstrated.
• Rural; Peri-Urban; and/or Urban.
• Replicability: Replicable integrated approach to biogas and that there are clearly other projects with
similar characteristics that could replicate the approach.
• The plant design and the quality of equipment and the operation (maintenance) must ensure a plant
lifespan of at least 15 years.
• Commercially viable: Projects must be able to show that they are commercially viable.
 Project selection criteria cont…
• Prefeasibility/Feasibility stage and may be in need of some support to develop the project
• Timing of project on site: January 2016 onwards
• Benefits to local population: Clear and quantifiable social, economic and environmental
benefits are demonstrated for the local population
Beneficiary Enterprises
• Organisation developing the biogas must be an SMME or cooperative.
• Voluntary basis: The project beneficiaries should submit their project on a voluntary basis,
and must provide the complete set of legally required documentation for project permitting
by the Government (EIA, etc.), where relevant.
• Capacity: Demonstrate they have, or with sufficient capacity building would have, the
management and technical capacity to carry out the project.
• Own contribution: at least 30% of the total investment costs must be borne by the project
owner.
• Good economic basis: The enterprise should have a sound economic basis, the capacity to
repay loans, provide the required security and the required own contribution. New
enterprises are also eligible if they can demonstrate viable business plans and access to
financing.
 Project selection criteria cont…
Project selection
To ensure that the demonstration projects cover as wide a range of projects
as possible the portfolio of projects will be selected to cover the following:
• Location: cover a number of provinces (country representation)
• Different capacities/sizes
• Different feedstocks
• Different uses of gas demonstrated between projects
• Grid access and on-site energy use projects
• The selection will be carried out by DEA and UNIDO through consultation
with the Project Steering Committee.
 Key considerations
Project Feasibility

• Bankable project proposals need to be drafted – passion for topic area

needs to be combined with both a business perspective as well as
extensive technical knowledge on the subject matter

• Project sustainability: Agreements with long term feedstock suppliers-

feedstocks should be available for 12 – 15 years, studies have shown that
it takes about 12 years to pay back the investment costs of a plant

• Variability in the type of feedstock used/available

Key considerations Cont…An integrated approach to
create multiple benefits

1. Anaerobic Digesters, 30
days at 35ºC
2. Solid/Liquid Separation -
creates two products
3. Co-Generation of Heat and
Green Power
4. Recovery of excess
nutrients and water
recycling
5. Drying and packaging of
fertilizer products
 Key considerations Cont…
• Minimum investment required should not be below a
threshold which makes the project economically viable.
• Own use vs PPA (off-takers)
• Need to be cognisant of off-takers requirements as some may
be more stringent requirements than others i.e. methane
content vs other gases content.
• Norms and standards - Compressed Natural Gas & Low
Pressure Gas.
 Floating Dome System (Small Industrial)
Installed more than a decade ago as supplementary cooking fuel for a hotel at the border
between Botswana and South Africa

Loading point Off-loading point

Gas burner Piping to the kitchen

 Biogas Digester Designs: Fixed Dome
(Domestic) Reticulation

Fixed Dome System under

• Financial year
construction

• Allocation
Loading point
Overflow

Vegetable irrigation
Cooking
Gas off-take point

20
 Biogas/Water Purifier: Abattoir Waste
Application
Collection of
effluent

Purified water
outlet
Inlet point for Effluent

Digesters installed
underground

Access points for

digesters
 Smallholder Biogas System
Ideal for smallholder with gardening operation; Mixed waste co-digestion; All energy
produced used on-site; Digestate can be used as fertiliser

Energy Web: Little Green Monster

Examples of Biogas plants in South Africa
by iBERT –
1: Queenstown, 2: Jan Kemp Dorp, 3: Riversdale

1 2

3
Thank You

Images provided by UNIDO - Pretoria