Brussels, 02/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank has just granted a €180 million loan to Gruppo Hera S.p.A. to develop and upgrade urban waste treatment and electricity generating plants located in the Emilia Romagna region, Italy. The investment schemes concern the extension of four existing municipal solid waste treatment plants and the construction of a natural gas-fired combined cycle gas turbine power plant.
The waste plants are in Modena, Ferrara, Forli and Rimini. They will generate electricity and three of them will also co-generate heat, thereby recovering energy from municipal waste combustion. Consequently, the landfilling of untreated waste will be avoided and the plants will comply with stringent European atmospheric emission limits. The new combined cycle gas turbine power plant located at Imola will allow high energy-conversion efficiency and thus a rational use of energy. According to an EIB press release, “its advanced technology will increase energy supply security with a relatively low environmental impact”. The 8-year loan will finance 49% of the total project cost. The EIB expects the investment programme to be completed by 2008. (ol)