Economic and Environmental Benefits of Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste in Phnom Penh Municipality, Cambodia

Dek Vimean Pheakdey, Nguyen Van Quan and Tran Dang Xuan ()
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Dek Vimean Pheakdey: Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan
Nguyen Van Quan: Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan
Tran Dang Xuan: Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: This study assessed the energy potential, economic feasibility, and environmental performance of landfill gas (LFG) recovery, incineration, and anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies for Phnom Penh municipality in Cambodia, from 2023 to 2042. The economic analysis utilized the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), payback period (PBP), and net present value (NPV) to evaluate the feasibility of each technology. Additionally, environmental performance was assessed following the IPCC 2006 guidelines. The results indicate that incineration produced the highest energy output, ranging from 793.13 to 1625.81 GWh/year, while the LFG and AD technologies yielded equivalent amounts of 115.44–271.81 GWh/year and 162.59–333.29 GWh/year, respectively. The economic analysis revealed an average LCOE of 0.070 USD/kWh for LFG, 0.053 USD/kWh for incineration, and 0.093 USD/kWh for AD. Incineration and LFG recovery were found to be economically feasible, with positive NPVs and a potential for profit within 8.36 years for incineration and 7.13 years for LFG. In contrast, AD technology had a negative NPV and required over 20 years to generate a return on investment. However, AD was the most promising technology regarding environmental performance, saving approximately 133,784 tCO 2 -eq/year. This study provides valuable technical information for policymakers, development partners, and potential investors to use in order to optimize waste-to-energy investment in Cambodia.

Keywords: energy recovery; greenhouse gas; municipal solid waste; waste-to-energy; incineration; Phnom Penh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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