ASSESSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WASTE-TO-ENERGY MARKET IN GREECE USING REFUSE-DERIVED FUELS

摘要

Greece (Ellas) still has no waste-to-energy (WtE) plant for recovering energy from municipal solid wastes and, as a result, still relies heavily on landfilling, despite modestly rising recycling rates. The use of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is favoured by developments in European and Hellenic legislation on emission control and waste management. Moreover, use of RDF in Hellenic energy-intensive industries is encouraged by the rising prices of fossil fuels, as well as concerns with climate change due to Greenhouse Gases and emission trading schemes, with rising prices for avoided emission credits. The future supply for RDF (also often called Solid Recovered Fuel or SRF, when biological treatment precedes the mechanical one) is anticipated to be significant, mainly due to the construction of new Mechanical-Biolobical Treament (MBT) plants, in addition to the five existing ones, plus the energetic utilisation of post-recycliresidues generated at the 22 existing (with more planned) Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) for packaging wastes. This study assesses the prospects for the utilization of RDF and SRF, by the Hellenic industry, in the context of national legislation, waste management policies and market trends. The current utilization of RDF/SRF and the potential for increasing its use by the Hellenic industry were identified by means of a 2008 survey. In particular, the economic viability of the utilization of RDF/SRF in the cement industry was examined. Moreover, the future MBT capacity in Greece was estimated based on updated Regional Planning studies, the projections for MSW generation in Greece until 2030, as well as legislative obligations and policies of the European Union, Despite past plans and efforts, the present utilization of RDF/SRF in the Hellenic industry is very limited to a few cases, mainly in the cement industry. This indicates the need for a parallel development in Greece of dedicated WtE plants using residual post-recycling municipal and other solid wastes, as well as implementing WtE facilities fueled by RDF/SRF. The paper summarizes all on-going projects, both on the mainland and at the Hellenic islands, and provides an updated market and trends' overview.