Australia’s first major waste-to-energy plant sparks debate

Australia’s first major waste-to-energy plant recently began operating, marking a new era in waste incineration. Australia has begun developing more waste-to-energy power plants in an attempt to incinerate household waste, rather than landfill, to produce electricity. While this could help reduce the number of landfills across the country, many environmentalists worry that it could do more harm than good.

Waste-to-energy plants are plants that burn municipal solid waste in boilers to produce steam and generate electricity. Wastes introduced into the facilities consist primarily of residential solid waste, but may also come from commercial, institutional, and industrial sources. Typically, about 90% of the energy produced at these plants can be used as electricity, with 10% being released as steam. Waste-to-energy plants are extremely expensive to build and operate, which has discouraged widespread adoption of the model. However, the waste-to-energy market is expanding and is expected to grow from a value of $35.1 billion in 2019 to approximately $50.1 billion by 2027.

Kwinana Energy The recovery facility, south of Perth, is Australia’s first commercial-scale waste plant, capable of burning up to 460,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste per year. This is equivalent to around a quarter of the waste annually sent to landfill in the city of Perth, which is home to approximately 2 million people. This is not the only plant planned for the region, with another 300,000 tonne per year generator currently under construction near East Rockingham.

Several companies are bidding for licenses to develop waste-to-energy facilities across Australia, with four approved licenses for Victoria and more under discussion in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. If approved, together the plants would have the capacity to burn 2 million tonnes of waste annually, equivalent to around a quarter of the waste produced by Australian households. A total of 10 waste-to-energy plants are under development across the country.

How many landfills are there in the whole country close to capacitythe waste-to-energy scheme is attracting more interest. However, while the model is being developed in several Australian states, it is banned in the Australian capital Canberra. While many are excited to end the landfill model of waste management, others are concerned about the environmental impact of burning waste. For example, Zero Waste Australia says the initiative is “the most polluting and expensive way to generate energy and manage waste”. The group points out the potential negative environmental and health impacts of trash burning.

While many waste-to-energy facilities in Europe are decommissioned, the industry is gaining more traction in Australia, which could lead to more facilities being built in the coming years. Experts fear that increasing the number of plants could discourage households from recycling their waste. However, the transition is expected to be coupled with more recycling and green waste schemes. In Europe, the reason so many facilities are being decommissioned is due to the improved efforts to reduce, sort, reuse and recycle waste in many countries, which has led to a reduction in waste that needs to be incinerated.

Currently, there are approximately 2,000 waste-to-energy facilities worldwide, and several countries have long relied on the waste-to-waste model. However, some are now planning to reduce their reliance on waste-to-energy facilities, such as Denmark, which is pursuing to reduce its waste incineration capacity by 30% between 2020 and 2030.

While there is broad government support for the waste-to-energy model, many Australian communities are not so enthusiastic about having these facilities in their backyard. The $600 Veolia Advanced Energy Recovery Center (ARC) at Woodlawn, near Goulburn, is currently under development and was expected to open in 2023. However, Veolia faced significant community opposition to the project due to health and environmental concerns.

Veolia plans to use mobile grill technology to incinerate waste from the factory, using high temperatures to produce steam, which will power turbines. It aims to produce enough electricity to power around 40,000 homes. The company guarantees that the gases released from the incinerator will be clean, to the highest international standard, so that no liquids or odors are emitted. However, the locals are not so confident. The New South Wales Planning Department is currently waiting for Veolia to respond to the issues raised before giving final approval for the plant.

There is a lack of consensus on the harms and benefits of the waste-to-energy model. Proponents suggest it can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by using waste to generate energy. It has also been shown to reduce emissions in some cities. For example, in Rotterdam, waste-to-energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 200,000 tonnes per year, conformable Confederation of European Waste to Energy Plants. However, opponents suggest that burning waste may release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but it also produces more methane, which is very harmful to the atmosphere. While the debate continues as to which method of waste management is better, it will be necessary to encourage greater efforts to reduce, sort, reuse and recycle to reduce reliance on both methods, contributing to greener waste disposal.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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