The extraction of noxious gases from inside the Maghtab landfill is due to start by the end of the month, Environment Minister George Pullicino said yesterday when unveiling eight proposals for the rehabilitation of the landfill.
Mr Pullicino said that all eight proposals are to turn the site into a park, and although work could commence early next year, the time for completion could be between six to eight years.
“We are now coming to the phase when we have almost completed boring the holes for the pipes to be sunk into the ground so we can extract the harmful gas that is causing Maghtab to combust internally at 200 degrees Celsius,” said Mr Pullicino.
He said that initially, some 50 12-metre deep shafts will be sunk into the landfill while the long term plan is to have 400 extraction pipes. “The site is constantly monitored for emissions, and we are pleased to say that they have dropped somewhat,” said the minister.
He said that a large amount of rubble had to be removed when boring the gas pipe holes. Any harmful gases will be burned off while viable methane will be pumped into a turbine to generate electricity. This is already being done at the engineered landfills of Ta’ Zwejra and Ghallis. The energy produced is equivalent to three per cent of the total grid production.
Mr Pullicino said that there were eight bidders from all over the world who submitted their proposals for Maghtab’s transformation. He also explained that the plans are on show at St James’ Cavalier and will later be moved to Naxxar. The public will then be asked to cast their vote.
“The project that gets the popular vote will be given more weighting when the jury comes down to making the final selection. Once a plan is chosen, we will enter into the nitty-gritty and fine-tune the details,” he said.
Mr Pullicino said that his ministry wanted E170 million out of Malta’s allocation of more than E800 million from the 2007-2013 EU structural funds budget. He also said that another project was in the pipeline to re-map part of the Coast Road. “This will make for an easier flow of traffic, and we are aiming to eliminate traffic passing through the village of Maghtab,” he said.
Mr Pullicino said that one of the main priorities in selecting a project would be that of accessibility to the public. “We want this to be something people can enjoy. We want people to go there and enjoy the fabulous views it offers while walking in the countryside. But we also want to ensure that it is a showcase of alternative energy, and that there are activities to attract people there in the first place,” he said.
Asked by this newspaper, Mr Pullicino confirmed that the vast majority of plants, trees, shrubs and flowers which will be introduced to the park will be indigenous species. However, he also pointed out that some of the projects propose to have Mediterranean and herb gardens within them.
He said that the government issued a call for applications last July.
Mr Pullicino said that WastServ was going to organise another open day at the landfill. “People thought that the idea would not take off last time we organised it, but many people turned out, so another one is being organised,” he said. It is due to be held on the first weekend of March.
Mr Pullicino said that people were making use of the civil amenity site at Maghtab and that another one at Mriehel was to open shortly. This will be followed by similar sites in Luqa, Hal Far and Tal-Kus in Gozo.