Méndez said that the Uruguayan Department of Energy, the National Environment Directoprate (DINAMA) and the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) will present a project to the Global Environment Facility, an initiative that also aims to reduce emission of greenhouse gases.
This project is called "Transforming environmental liabilities of the agricultural and industrial sectors and small populated areas into energy assets," and seeks to identify and quantify the different types of waste resulting from industrial chains, characterize, in terms of quantity and quality, the supply of waste, and identify the most appropriate technologies for treatment.
As reported by the News Agency of Uruguay, the growth of the country's economy in recent years, particularly of agricultural production, "has increased the potential contaminants of water ways," which means that the treatment of waste from this sector to generate energy is a timely solution.
The move was announced under the Government's proposal that renewables would reach 50% of the overall energy mix by 2015, while hydropower, wind and biomass would account for 90% of the electricity mix.
The Director of Energy said that eight industries already use their waste to generate electricity and evacuate it to the national grid, as well as generating heat in industrial processes.
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