Bulawayo City Council gives UK firm $68 million contract

The Bulawayo City Council has agreed to grant United Kingdom-registered Pragma Leaf Consulting company permission to set up a $68 million waste-to-energy plant, which could produce 110 000 litres of bio-diesel and 2.2 megawatts electricity, latest council minutes show.

Pragma has completed a feasibility study for the project and the results indicated that waste generated in Bulawayo was sufficient for the establishment of a waste to energy plant.

“They therefore, intended to establish a $68 million waste to energy plant producing 110 000 litres of bio-diesel, 2.2 MW electricity and creating an employment for 120 plant operatives and further jobs in downstream industries,” read the council minutes.

Agreement conditions stipulate that Pragma would bring additional refuse removal compactors to help improve collection and their operations would not use potable water as they would obtain and purify water from refuse.

The project is assured of 325 tonnes of waste per day and would entail it having monopoly over waste generated in Bulawayo to be certain of adequate supplies for their operations.

Pragma also asked for a waste lease agreement of 25-30 years.

At full throttle, an estimated 2 000 jobs would be created –refuse collectors, processors, sorters and some 120 professionals.

The project would convert waste to energy and distil diesel which council would have first option to purchase at $2 per gallon or 50 cents per litre. It requires 12-18 months lead time to complete upon the signing of the lease agreement.

The council also proposed a land rental of $40 000 per annum and asked the Milton Keynes-based firm to submit the contract documents for signing.

Not much information is available about Pragma, but it was registered in UK in 2010 and its first directors are given as Zebediah Manatse and Joseph Qobo Mayisa. Its website account is suspended.-The Source

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