In a realistic scenario, the energy generated by waste incineration replaces only about 1.1% of the EU’s fossil gas consumption, according to a report published on Thursday 20 October by the NGO Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), which refutes the potential benefits of increased waste incineration and co-incineration promoted by the industry.
Comparing different scenarios to examine the impact of waste incineration on avoided gas consumption, the study shows that, even in the totally unrealistic scenario where all the energy produced by waste incineration is used to replace gas, all the energy from all the waste incinerated would only replace about 3.7% of the EU27’s gas consumption.
In addition, the construction of new facilities takes time and, unless they are already planned, it is unlikely that these new facilities will have an impact on gas consumption in the short term, the report says.
The report also highlights the limitations of industry-led studies that artificially amplify the benefits of waste incineration as a substitute for fossil gas, for example by comparing the energy produced by incinerators with the most carbon-intensive energy sources, such as coal.
“Waste incinerators are too ineffectual and inconsequential to help with the energy crisis even in the best case scenario”, comments Janek Vähk of ZWE.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/3pc (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)