Solar farm proposed at former dump

A photovoltaic farm is being proposed on the site of the former Wied Fulija landfill, right on its seaward boundary, located in the south coast in the vicinity of Zurrieq

Dump by the sea: Wied Fulija, where a sola farm is now being proposed
Dump by the sea: Wied Fulija, where a sola farm is now being proposed

 A photovoltaic farm is being proposed on the site of the former Wied Fulija landfill, right on its seaward boundary, located in the south coast in the vicinity of Zurrieq. 

This emerges from a report presented to MEPA aimed at commencing the rehabilitation of the site.

“The objective is to utilise the available land area that is otherwise unusable, to generate power, in an efficient and eco-friendly manner, to be fed into the national grid,” a project development statement presented by WasteServ shows.

According to the report, landscaping with vegetation will be difficult on the seaward edge of the landfill due to the high wind and saline exposure on this side. 

“It is therefore being envisaged that a potential solution would involve the installation of photovoltaic panels along the seaward slopes,” the report says. 

But any such development can take place only if the effects of subterranean combustion can be mitigated.

However further studies will have to be carried out before the erection of solar panels may be considered feasible and beneficial.

The landfill at Wied Fulija commenced operations in 1979 and accepted waste till1996. 

The site is situated in the hamlet of Wied Fulija, approximately 1.5 kilometres south of the town of Zurrieq.

The Wied Fulija landfill has lain abandoned since it was closed, and there are no leachate and gas management systems in place. On several occasions subterranean fires have ignited the dumped waste, leading to surface fires.