Addu Waste-to-Energy Plant Awaits PPP Operator After Commissioning Delays

The government is moving to place the Addu waste-to-energy plant under a public-private partnership model, as unresolved operational and technical challenges continue to delay the use of a facility completed three years ago.

The Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy said the plant, completed in 2023, has not yet been commissioned because several requirements needed to bring it into operation remain unfulfilled. The facility was developed with a USD 16 million investment from the Maldives Green Fund and is designed to process 50 tonnes of waste per day while generating 1.5 megawatts of electricity.

One of the key constraints has been the lack of a reliable waste supply at the scale required for the plant to operate. The government has previously said that arrangements have not yet been made to transport waste to Addu from the three southernmost atolls and other parts of the country.

Speaking at a press briefing at the President’s Office in response to a question from state media PSM News, Director General of Waste Management and Pollution Ahmed Muruthala said the plant’s condition is being monitored despite the delay in bringing it into service.

Muruthala said the introduction of waste-to-energy technology to the Maldives had exposed gaps in local technical capacity. He said the government is now working to operate the Addu plant through a public-private partnership arrangement.

He said the Thilafushi waste-to-energy project is being implemented under a design, build and operate model, with the contractor responsible for operating the facility for 15 years after completing it. By contrast, he said the Vandhoo and Addu projects were developed on the expectation that local technical capacity would be available by the time they became operational, but that capacity had not materialised.

The ministry said the PPP arrangement will require procedures to be completed in line with relevant laws and regulations. As a result, no specific timeframe has been set for handing over the operation of the Addu waste-to-energy plant.

The ministry also pointed to wider difficulties in maintaining advanced technologies and specialised machinery introduced to the Maldives through different funding programmes. It said the country currently lacks the technical capacity needed to maintain waste-to-energy facilities.

The ministry warned that allowing expensive infrastructure and equipment at waste management facilities to deteriorate because of inadequate maintenance would represent a significant loss for the Maldives.