Following the unprecedented electricity shortage during the past scorching summer season, Shanghai is now turning to household garbage to generate power.

The Shanghai Yuqiao Garbage Incineration Plant, the first in the country that can process 1,000-ton household garbage daily, burns trash instead of coal to propel its two 8,500-kilowatt generators.

The core technology for the plant - located in Pudong New Area - is from the French government, which provided a US$30-million loan in the form of equipment to aid the 630-million yuan (US$76 million) project.

After two years' trial operation, it is now awaiting final evaluation by the State Environmental Supervision Station before it goes into formal operation.

The city government invested 170 million yuan in the project, and if it passes the evaluation, the Pudong New Area government will pay the plant 247 yuan per ton of garbage it burns.

The local power grid company pays a higher price to buy electricity from the plant - usually 0.2 to 0.3 yuan per kilowatt-hour higher than that from coal-fueled plants.

Once it begins official operation, the plant can generate 350,000 to 410,000 kwh electricity each day. In July, the hottest month when the scorching heat stretched the local power grid, it produced 12.05 million kwh power, of which 9.77 million was provided to the local power grid.

"Compared to power plants using coal, the electri-city we produce is really very small," said General Manager Huang Yucheng. "What's different is it initi-ates a new and environment-friendly method to utilize the waste in Shanghai."

According to Huang, the plant is now processing up to 1,200 tons of trash produced by Pudong's urbanized areas each day.

Meanwhile, a 1,500-ton garbage incineration plant in Jiangqiao, Jiading District, that can generate power is now ready and is scheduled to go into trial operation by the year's end.

It can provide 10 million kwh power each year.

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