Recently, the government of the province of San Juan announced the resumption of the works of the VERSU Project, a plant that transforms garbage into electrical energy.
The project, whose initials stand for Energy Recovery of Urban Solid Waste, will be key to recycling 10 tons of daily garbage.
It uses urban and agro-industrial solid waste and converts it into clean energy with the aim of reducing environmental impact and strengthening the provincial energy matrix.
The initiative will be executed by Energía Provincial Sociedad del Estado (EPSE). It was officially presented in the department of Sarmiento, before its mayor, Alfredo Castro.
The announcement was made within the framework of an institutional meeting where the work plan for the completion and start-up of the plant was detailed.
In 2025, the project to convert garbage into energy went through a process of reorganization, which included the legal regularization of the site.
For this, the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development of the province ceded a portion of land to EPSE through a provincial decree, a necessary condition to resume the works.
How the plant that converts garbage into energy works
The plant will use domestic and industrial waste as fuel to generate electricity.
In particular, the central process revolves around a steam boiler of 435 Kw power, the key piece of the system that is currently in recovery.
According to EPSE, the plant’s treatment capacity will be 10 tons of garbage per day that will be converted into clean energy.
Additionally, the plant will have an environmental measurement laboratory. This will be key to monitoring each stage of the process once it is operational.
The project components and stages include:
- Drilling for industrial water supply, essential for the plant’s operation
- Recovery of existing equipment, focusing on the steam boiler
- Improvements in safety and control systems
- Strategic civil works, including the environmental laboratory
- Acquisition of the turbo generator, final step before start-up tests
What it means for the environment and energy of the province
The conversion of garbage into energy of the VERSU project aims to reduce up to 90% of the waste volume that currently represents an environmental problem.
Furthermore, it would allow supplying clean electricity to more than 1300 homes in San Juan.
To ensure the continuous operation of VERSU, the Province and the municipality of Sarmiento are working together on the planning of the waste management system and on strengthening the separation plant, which will ensure the fuel supply.
The next decisive step will be the acquisition of the turbo generator, which will enable final tests and the effective start of electricity generation.
The plant also relies on locally developed technology, which reinforces the province’s autonomy in energy matters.
With this project, San Juan moves towards a cleaner energy matrix that transforms a daily environmental problem into a concrete and sustainable source of electricity.
