WTE worldwide

A look at WTE practices on a global scale. Malcolm Chilton considers differences in location, environment and marketplace from the USA to China and Europe The development of waste-to-energy (WTE), or energy-from-waste (EfW), facilities worldwide has increased significantly in the last 30 years. Growth has been driven by two forces: the need to dispose of growing amounts of solid waste and the need to find sustainable sources of energy. Furthermore, the growing focus on climate change has shifted attitudes away from landfill towards a more sustainable solution. Currently, there are 87 WTE facilities in the USA processing up to 30 million tons (27.2 million tonnes) of waste every year and converting it into approximately 15 billion kWh of energy. Solid waste management in the USA is based on the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and dispose (see Figure 1). Currently, more than 65% of the country’s MSW is disposed of in landfill sites. However, WTE is on the rise with many facilities being planned across the US. Figure 1. The waste hierarchy in the USA Click here to enlarge image This is not only the case in the USA. Recent analysis of waste disposal methods shows that WTE is on the rise worldwide and already enjoys broad acceptance in some regions. Countries in Asia, such as Singapore, Taiwan and Japan have adopted WTE technology. Japan currently processes up to 70% of its MSW via WTE. Figure 2 illustrates the implementation of WTE facilities in various countries worldwide. Figure 2. WTE facilties worldwide Click here to enlarge image China is also now championing the development of WTE. As can also be seen in Figure 2, traditionally the country has sent almost all of its MSW to landfill, but the country’s growing economy has led to an increased need for renewable power generation. The Chinese government is now calling for the construction of 200 WTE facilities by the year 2020. Covanta Energy currently operates two modern WTE facilities in Chonqing Tongxing and the Fujlan province in China, both processing up to 1200 tonnes per day and has plans to build a further 1800 tonnes per day facility. Where to place WTE facilties Growing numbers of authorities in countries worldwide are now selecting WTE as the most cost-effective and practical solution for treating residual waste, but there is still much debate over where they are best placed. It is estimated that by 2030, our energy demand will be substantially higher than today due to expanding economies around the world. Every waste authority considers a wide range of locations when seeking to build a new facility and this often proves the main obstacle to a successful planning application. Is it better to build a facility in the countryside, where it is out of sight (and out of mind) of those who might oppose the plant? Or is it better to build near to the urban centre, perhaps even on reclaimed land, where the facility is closer to the waste source and where the energy produced can be maximized through the provision of electricity and low cost heat to homes and industry? While rural acreage may be a less costly site for a WTE facility than its urban counterpart, it will be more visible than when placed in the midst of an industrial centre. Sensitive and localized design, however, can solve that issue. The facility on the Isle of Man in the UK, which processes up to 60,000 tonnes of MSW every year and is expected to provide up to 10% of the island’s electricity, has won awards for its ground-breaking, attractive architectural design. Furthermore, in a rural location there are fewer users to benefit from any run-off heat. Waste transport costs are also higher due to the long distances involved in transporting urban waste to rural locations and increased carbon emissions result from long-haul transportation. There is a strong argument for building WTE facilities in urban locations close to the largest concentration of waste, and where carbon emissions from long-haul transport are minimized. The Spittelau Thermal Waste Treatment Plant in Vienna, Austria, exemplifies a well-designed, and situated, urban facility. It was designed by Austrian artist and architect Freidensreich Hundertwasser and looks more like an art museum than a WTE plant. Processing up to 250,000 tons (226,000 tonnes) of waste every year, the facility generates enough energy to fuel its own operations, and the technology of all Vienna’s nine plants link together to provide the city with clean, reliable heat. Perhaps the most notable advantage to having a WTE facility near the urban population for the community it serves and site location planners, is the potential to offer nearby residents the benefit of combined heat and power (electricity and low cost central heating). In Denmark there are much higher number of WTE facilities per capita than in the USA, and there is much less resistance to facilities as nearby residents enjoy low cost heating throughout the colder months. WTE and the environment The key objection to WTE facilities seems to be centred on increased levels of pollution in the atmosphere, despite the fact that there are very strict guidelines for all facilities operating worldwide. In the last 20 years, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set stringent regulations on the amount of emissions released into the atmosphere and now states that WTE produces electricity with less environmental impact than almost any other source. Every tonne of waste processed in a WTE facility offsets up to one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, by reducing the amount of methane generated by landfills and decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. It has been estimated that if the US reduced the landfilling of all its waste by 65% and converted that waste into energy, it would cut greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 150 million US tons (136 million tonnes) per year and provide over 2% of the nation’s electricity. Many companies are increasing their focus on the environment, both in terms of their business and in terms of serving the communities in which they operate. Earlier this year, Covanta Energy teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to help reduce the amount of abandoned fishing equipment in the nation’s oceans. The scheme is called the Fishing for Energy project. It encourages fisherman to collect derelict fishing nets and related equipment recovered at sea to reduce the environmental damage and harm to marine species. The abandoned fishing gear is taken to Covanta’s WTE facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts where it is processed. Tests have shown that the energy generated by one US ton of fishing gear is enough to power a home for 25 days. The global marketplace We are seeing more activity within the WTE market today than in recent years, and this attitude is being driven by the ever-growing demand to find both waste disposal solutions and sources of renewable energy. The growth is also being furthered by growing environmental concern over climate change and the desire to minimize the utilization of landfills, which both take up valuable land and emit harmful greenhouse gases. Covanta’s Sanfeng Tongxing WTE facility in China processes 1200 tonnes of MSW everyday and generates 24 megawatts of electricity Click here to enlarge image WTE facilities operating in the USA avoid the need to send 30 million tons (27.2 million tonnes) of waste to landfills. Those same facilities avoid the use of 30 million barrels of crude oil or displace 7.8 million tons (7.07 million tonnes) of coal that would be combusted for energy each year, whilst providing clean energy. The dual benefits of WTE facilities set WTE worlds apart from fossil fuel operated plants. Covanta Energy and the UK As a newcomer to the UK WTE industry, Covanta Energy UK has already established itself in the market. Covanta opened its UK headquarters in Kingswinford near Dudley with a team of three in November 2005. Since then, the company has increased fivefold its staffing levels and space at its HQ, to meet the company’s growing presence in the UK. A look at the Fishing for Energy project Click here to enlarge image Covanta’s most significant entry to date into the European waste and renewable energy markets came last year when Covanta Energy secured a contract for the development of a 600,000 tonne per year WTE facility in Poolbeg, Dublin, which will be owned by Dublin Waste to Energy Limited (a joint venture between Covanta and DONG Energy Generation A/S.). The construction phase of the facility is due to begin in early 2009 and Covanta is responsible for the design and construction of the project. Once constructed, Covanta will operate and maintain the project for Dublin Waste to Energy Limited, which has a 25-year ‘gate fee’ type contract with Dublin City Council. The completed facility will also provide electricity through the national grid. Covanta has also been shortlisted for a number of bids to build WTE facilities for local authorities across the UK. Case study: Covanta Lee County,Fort Myers, Florida Covanta’s Lee County facility, which began commercial operation in 1994 is one of 11 WTE facilities throughout the state. An expansion last year saw the facility named as the first of Covanta’s WTE units to be built under the US Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Source Performance Standards, the pollution control standards enforced by the EPA. The recent expansion enables the facility to convert 636 tons (576 tonnes) of MSW every day. The generating capacity is 18 megawatts of electricity. To date, the facility has saved more than 6250 acre-feet (apx. 1.5 million m3) of landfill space, the equivalent of 1578 US football fields covered three feet deep in rubbish. The Florida Lee County facility, alongside the other 10 WTE facilities in the state, has a combined power output of 517 megawatts of renewable energy, which equates to almost 47% of Florida’s current renewable generating capacity. Malcolm Chilton is Managing Director of Covanta Energy UK.For more information visit www.covantaenergy.co.uk.e-mail: info@covantaenergy.co.uk