Blog entry

Assessment of waste incineration capacities in the Upper Nitra region

According to the study’s findings, the proposed municipal waste incinerator will not be able to secure a sufficient supply of municipal waste (80 000-100 000 tonnes), primarily due to the relatively small population in the surrounding region.

This will be an even greater challenge given that new recycling targets will go into force in Slovakia by 2035: according to European legislation, the 65% of waste should be recycled and only approximately 10% of waste should be sent to landfills.

In fact, if these recycling targets are met, neither of the potential sites for the plant will generate a sufficient amount of municipal waste for energy recovery. In the case of option A (using waste supplied by Prievidza, Nováky and Zemianske Kostoľany), approximately 9 918 to 11 108 tonnes of municipal waste would remain for incineration after 2035. In the case of option B (using waste supplied from the entire Prievidza district), 20 635-23 111 tonnes of municipal solid waste would remain for incineration after 2035. From these amounts, some of the municipal waste will be non-combustible.

Unnecessary capacity

According to the data presented in the study, the Slovak Republic already has sufficient technical capacity for energy recovery from municipal waste, and there is no need to build more. In current conditions, with the full utilization of all existing available municipal waste incineration capacities in the Slovak Republic, 12% of municipal solid waste could be used for energy recovery and 27% of this waste could be used in cement kilns. This is more incineration capacity than will be needed in the future, given the new recycling targets.

In order to utilise the additional capacity the proposed plant would add to this, it would need to use waste that should instead be designated for reuse and recycling. This waste would come not only from the Prievidza region, but also from a large area with long transport distances.

The plant would either fail and create significant economic losses (which might subsequently be passed on to the local population), or it would repress the desired development of recycling and reuse. JASPERS also raised this problem in their analysis of potential energy solutions for the region.

Dangerous technology

Municipal waste incinerators that produce heat and electricity release fossil-based greenhouse gas emissions that are only slightly lower than those released by natural gas. Depending on the share of fossil sources present in the waste, they may even have the same or slightly higher emissions than natural gas used for these purposes. Thus, it is not clear what the climate benefits are in building installations with CO2 emissions comparable to those produced by natural gas.

The management of hazardous waste after incineration also needs to be dealt with more stringently than it is in current municipal solid waste incinerators. In particular, the management of toxic fly ash containing persistent organic pollutants is one of the main risks in terms of pollution of the environment by toxic substances and toxic substances entering the food chain.

A solution for Upper Nitra

Given these challenges, the planned incinerator should not be built. Other paths forward would provide long-term solutions for the region that bring climate benefits.

First, waste reduction, reuse and recycling should increase. Given the changing EU and Slovak legislation, which increasingly support recycling and investment in the circular economy, it is reasonable to anticipate an increase in recycling facilities. Recycling represents a lower environmental burden compared to waste-to-energy, and it saves more energy than is obtained by energy recovery of waste.

Second, investment in technology for the management of residual, mixed municipal waste is necessary. For this purpose, the least burdensome technology for the climate is, according to studies, anaerobic mechanical-biological treatment, with the sorting of metals and plastics for recycling and the landfilling of stabilized waste.

The ‘smart’ transformation of a Black Sea metropolis

This article was originally published on municpalpower.org*.

The implementation of the municipality’s action plan 2014-2020, designed to set Burgas on a path towards becoming an inclusive ‘smart’ metropolis, has already changed the face of the city’s residential buildings and upgraded its transport system.

Burgas: industrial hub at the seaside

With more than 200,000 residents, Burgas is Bulgaria’s fourth largest city.[2] Despite its growing popularity as a tourist destination, Burgas is essentially an industrial city. It hosts a large oil-refining company and is the centre of Bulgaria’s fish-processing industry. Its strategic location on the scenic coast of the Black Sea in south eastern Bulgaria means that it is also a major logistics hub, hosting Bulgaria’s largest port and second-largest airport.

In recent years, Burgas has become popular because of its ambitious goal of turning itself into a smart, climate-friendly city. The introduction of an integrated transport system, innovative street lighting and a comprehensive retrofitting programme for public and residential buildings were the first steps in that direction. A combination of municipal, national and EU funds have been used to advance this energy transition.

Upgrading public and residential buildings for a greener future

One of the first and largest tasks that the municipality undertook was the retrofitting of an impressive number of public and residential buildings in the city: By the end of 2019, over 300 such buildings in Burgas had been retrofitted with the support of EU funds, its own budget and Bulgaria’s Energy Efficiency of Multi-Family Residential Buildings National Programme, which has been running for five years.[3] This national programme enabled many of Burgas’s lower-income residents to participate in the project, enjoying maximum benefits.

The retrofitting programme in Burgas was a huge success, with more residential buildings being included than in any other city in Bulgaria. One important reason for these great results was the municipality’s effective promotion of the programme over many months so that virtually all its residents knew about it. To apply, households living in flats or apartment blocks had to create an association of owners, with at least 70% of the residents in favour of retrofitting. A representative from each association acted as a point of contact with the municipality, enabling dialogue between the municipality and residents about their preferences and any concerns. Burgas supported associations throughout the application process, which significantly accelerated approvals for retrofitting. A survey conducted by the city at the end of the programme showed that residents were very pleased with the results, as the refurbishment had made their homes more comfortable, affordable and attractive.

https://www.burgas.bg/uploads/ce1873c765ce3d48ce5ad7206e8e2f06.jpg — Before and after retrofitting: a residential building in Burgas. Credit: Municipality of BurgasThe retrofitted buildings are now much more energy efficient, which decreased emissions and reductions of up to 30% in residents’ energy bills. In an area of Bulgaria where energy poverty is a considerable problem, this is a significant improvement for citizens and contributes to the municipality’s aim of implementing inclusive sustainability measures. It is planned to integrate a Sustainable Energy Management System across the newly renovated buildings, to collect data with a view to improving the buildings’ energy efficiency even further.

https://www.burgas.bg/uploads/7561a38328e4e69f15dbe44cef0247e5.jpg

*‘Flora’ Exhibition Centre, Burgas. Photos: Municipality of Burgas*

Reforming the urban transportation system

A number of additional infrastructure projects are being implemented. First came the street lighting: More than 1,200 conventional lampposts were replaced with LED streetlights, leading to more than 50% energy savings. Out of these, 328 are so-called ‘smart lampposts’ that fulfil several functions at once – as well as lighting an area they can gather data on pollution and provide WiFi connections, and a few are even equipped with solar energy panels.[5] The municipality created a new municipal company to increase overall capacity to coordinate the entire upgrade in collaboration with companies from the region.

Burgas’s well-lit roads are increasingly being used by electric transport. As part of a newly integrated smart public transport system, the municipality has acquired a number of e-vehicles for official use, including five cars, four motorbikes and a truck. In 2020, 57 electric buses are expected to start serving Burgas’s public transport system. Several charging stations have also been provided throughout the city for residents who use private e-vehicles. For those who want to go even greener, a comprehensive bike-sharing programme has been set up: 14 stations provide more than 100 bikes in total, seven of which are electric. These can be used on the city’s 80km of cycle lanes.

*Cycling in Burgas. Photo: Municipality of Burgas*

Other measures to improve the environment and wellbeing of residents include the implementation of systems measuring air, noise and water pollution, and the establishment of eco-zones. A modernised waste disposal system also offers tax reductions to people that separate their waste correctly.

Citizen involvement as a key municipal action strategy

One particularly notable aspect of the energy transition in Burgas is the city’s effort to proceed in a democratic manner. The municipality values the input of citizens that will be affected by the measures being implemented and regularly organises focus group discussions regarding any planned decisions. Apart from residents, participants include business, universities, NGOs, and state, regional and local public bodies, in an effort to bring all relevant stakeholders together. Focus group discussions have so far been organised about sustainable energy management, building retrofitting, mobility, smart IT solutions and street lighting.

The municipality focuses on low-income households in particular. An Energy Help Desk has been established as part of the EU’s Fiesta project,[6] which aims to support residents’ efforts to reduce their energy consumption at home.

*Solar tree and benches. Photo: Municipality of Burgas*

The future of the ‘Best city to live in Bulgaria’

In the annual poll conducted by the radio channels Darik and 24 Chasa, Burgas has been voted as the ‘Best city to live in Bulgaria’ four times – in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2017 – which is definitely something to be proud of. The municipality has further ambitious plans to extend the existing sustainability programmes and turn Burgas into an even greener and more liveable city. To integrate all the existing programmes and create a comprehensive smart city system, Burgas is developing an Urban Sharing Platform (https://smartburgas.eu/bg) that will facilitate interaction between its citizens and the administration. It will be exciting to see what else the Black Sea metropolis can achieve in the future.

About the author:

Ivaylo Trendafilov has a Masters in International Business and Management and is currently Chief Expert and Programmes Directorate in the Department for Territorial Cooperation in the municipality’s European Policies and Programmes Directorate. Trendafilov identifies appropriate programmes and project financing opportunities, maintains a register and permanent contact with local non-governmental organisations and participates in approving, preparing and implementing projects for the municipality of Burgas.

This blog article was co-created by Josephine Valeske and is part of the mPOWER blog series in which cities and towns share how they are building better energy futures.

* The mPOWER project and consortium are funded by the Horizon 2020 EU Research and Innovation programme and involves seven partner organizations. The project started in May 2018 and will last four years.

Title Image: Municipality of Burgas

[1]

https://www.novinite.com/articles/171448/Local+Elections+2015%3A+Will+Burgas+Continue+to+be+Among+Bulgaria%27s+Best+Cities+to+Live+in%3F

[2] https://urbact.eu/burgas

[3] https://www.mrrb.bg/en/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-of-multi-family-residential-buildings-national-programme/

[4] Smart Cities Baseline Report 2017, http://www.sharingcities.eu/sharingcities/city-profiles/burgas

[5] Ibid.

[6] http://www.fiesta-audit.eu/en/

Just Transition Fund needs stronger safeguards on inclusion and decarbonisation

A just transition that transforms our energy systems from dependence on polluting sources harmful to human health and our planet into renewable, sustainable solutions can have major environmental and social benefits. Yet if local needs and green criteria are not properly addressed, the transition will no longer be just, nor will it be successful.

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is an EU-measure designed to help communities in coal-heavy regions across Europe move away from fossil fuels. Although a welcome step towards addressing the challenges of the energy transition, the EU’s current proposal needs to do more to ensure that the Fund supports an inclusive shift driven by a bottom-up approach.

Stronger safeguards in the following two areas could significantly improve the JTF’s chances of success. More details are available in our submission to the consultation.

A bottom-up approach

We ask for the regulation to include, wherever possible, requirements that the JTF support projects that stem from the initiative, needs and capacities of the communities the transition will impact most. It must encourage transparent, public participation and consultation with concerned stakeholders at all stages.

Without this, the JTF risks wasting significant funds on projects that do not address the needs of regions in question and go unused by their communities. To this end, the EU’s partnership principle should be applied as it is defined by the EU budget. Activities that do not comply with it should not be funded.

We know such an approach works. Across the region, Bankwatch member groups have shown significant examples of the necessity of a bottom-up approach for achieving a just transition in former mining centres :

In Upper Nitra, Slovakia, the community’s approach to regional development has ensured their leadership in defining the priorities for the transition, and the principles upon which it will be founded.
In Jiu Valley, Romania, after decades of failed transition, the short-lived but successful Romanian Social Development Fund’s Social Development Scheme for Mining Communities (SDSMC) (2004-2011) required community participation in defining and prioritising needs and designing and implementing projects. It centered around informing and integrating the community in development conversations.
In Eastern Wielkopolska and Silesia, Poland, recent activism on the part of citizens and CSOs to raise awareness about just transition and to start setting some foundational principles and priorities for the communities has been crucial in getting the government to take action, with the communities included.

The JTF has the power to continue this work, but only if it makes a stronger commitment to a bottom-up approach.

Decarbonisation

The JTF should only be used to invest in sustainable technologies that avoid locking in carbon-dependent or high-emission solutions while also creating long-lasting jobs. Financing for both gas and waste-to-energy incineration projects should be excluded. Neither is consistent with a just transition.

Unfortunately, in the current proposal, the InvestEU part of the mechanism leaves the door open for support to gas infrastructure. This is a crucial mistake, because natural gas will need to be phased out by 2035.

Any investments in new gas capacities will create stranded assets. Even incremental improvements of the emission-performance of existing installations blocks new investments that would allow regions to ‘leap forward’ into full climate neutrality.

This exclusion should further apply to carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, which are nowhere near achieving 100 percent emissions reductions. Instead, the mechanism must build upon the criteria set forth in the new European Investment Bank energy policy.

The JTF should also explicitly exclude funding for waste-to-energy incineration in line with EU’s Renewable Energy Directive and Regulation on Sustainable Finance. These call for waste incineration to be minimised, as well as for its exclusion from renewable energy support schemes (when separate waste collection obligations are not met).

European incinerators generate a significant amount of direct fossil CO₂ emissions , significantly greater than the energy produced through conventional fossil fuel sources such as gas. In 2017, over 40Mt of fossil CO² was released by waste to energy incinerators in the EU 28. This will only have an increasingly adverse impact on climate change. Investment in waste-to-energy projects will also delay the urgent transition to less carbon-intensive power generation infrastructure and to lower carbon options for waste management.

Rather than support unsustainable, short-term fixes, the JTF should prioritise projects in energy efficiency; enable the scaling up of innovative energy storage, e-mobility and renewables; ensure grid investment; and set an Emission Performance Standard of 100g CO₂/kWH.

ContourGlobal finally quits Kosova e Re coal plant

As if sensing the world was in desperate need of some good news, ContourGlobal has announced today that it is quitting the planned 500 MW Kosova e Re lignite power plant project in Kosovo.

The company stated that it is now impossible for the project to meet the required milestones, citing, among others, the recent formation of a government led by a Prime Minister publicly opposed to the project.

This is excellent news for Kosovo, as it not only frees up resources to concentrate on much-needed energy efficiency, solar and wind investments, but it will also save the country an enormous amount of money.

Kosovo’s previous government never came clean about exactly how much it would cost households and the state budget to fulfill the terms of the power purchase agreement signed with ContourGlobal. But with a ‘target’ wholesale electricity price of EUR 80/MWh and a host of other guarantees provided to the company with regard to coal quality, land transfer and other costs paid by the state, it was clear that the project would cost Kosovo dearly.

The Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Janez Kopač, several times warned that the contract could bankrupt the country, yet the project limped on. For years it looked like there was no rule that the Kosovo government was not willing to break for the sake of pushing the project forward. From a tender process that breached Kosovo legislation, to an environmental impact assessment without any public consultation, to the utterly illegal power purchase agreement, the legal violations kept piling up.

As a consequence, and given coal’s increasingly bleak future, ContourGlobal failed to find new financing for the project after the World Bank and EBRD confirmed they would no longer support it. With the details of the power purchase agreement gradually becoming public, domestic political opposition to the deal grew too. Kosovo and international civil society groups have opposed the project for almost a decade, and as time has worn on, their arguments have been proven right.

The parties forming Kosovo’s new government declared opposition to the Kosova e Re contract and were expected to annul it in the coming months, but finally ContourGlobal made the first move.

Kosovo must now decide how to move forward. In 2018, distribution losses alone accounted for almost 28 per cent of electricity – half technical losses and half commercial ones. The country has wasted years on pursuing coal projects that could have instead been spent addressing such losses and investing in sustainable forms of renewable energy, that are now more economically viable than coal.

There is no more time to lose on coal. It is no longer a resource, but a liability. It’s time for Kosovo to face the future and turn to clean, efficient energy.

“This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of CEE Bankwatch Network and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union”

Will Europe’s just transition pilot support locals in Slovakia?

Citizens of the Upper Nitra region in Slovakia, a coal mining area, are interested in a just transition away from coal and towards a zero-carbon economy. In fact, they have led the process thus far, organizing working groups and contributing to the development of the official action plan for the region’s transformation.

Citizens have not lost interest now that the plan is complete. At a recent seminar held in Prievidza on 12 February, almost 100 people from the local community came to learn how European programming in the upcoming period (2021-2027), the Just Transition Mechanism and other tools can support projects for the transformation of the Upper Nitra region.

This workshop was a chance to take stock of where the region is at, after all of the work done in 2019, and to explain to the local community the path forward. In front of a packed and engaged room, politicians from all levels of government, business leaders, and Slovak and international experts discussed how to move from a citizen-led action plan to citizen-led projects.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office had previously invited local municipalities and business entities to propose their visions for a just transition through project concepts that support the transformation of the region of Upper Nitra. The community’s proposals were supposed to show whether the region had the potential to fulfill the action plan’s priorities and whether it would be possible to secure European funding for their ideas.

This “collection of indicative transformation projects” was carried out twice: in 2018, approximately 180 project concepts were submitted, and in 2019, the number of new applicants significantly increased. In the end, out of approximately 220 project concept notes submitted, eight were selected for submission to JASPERS, a joint EU/EIB initiative to support projects receiving EU funds.

Unfortunately, this process raised the expectations of local business leaders who submitted projects—several applicants have received no feedback on their proposals, and those whose projects were sent to JASPERS may have false hope that their projects will be funded.

So far, government representatives have provided very limited advice to the community on what they can expect out of this process, or how to improve their project proposals for the next time around. In fact, little effort was made to include the community beyond the application stage. Yet funding would go directly to the regional authority (NUTS 3 level) and municipalities to build the capacities of locals in to better prepare and implement good projects.

Government representatives at the seminar made clear that they support Upper Nitra’s transformation and want EU funds to be devoted to this. They stressed multiple times the complex nature of the problem, and therefore the long-term perspective needed when considering its solution, asking for patience from the community.

Yet locals are ready to move forward with the process, and are anxious to see how it will be done. This sense of urgency is partially because many local employers lack a qualified workforce, and yet thousands of local people are still employed in the coal mines due to subsidised electricity from domestic coal.

One of the key issues remains a sustainable alternative solution for district heating. The region currently relies on coal for this purpose, but will need to shift to new technologies in the upcoming period. The Slovak government is currently preparing EU funding for the insulation of part of the distribution network, and JASPERS will assess a project to use private resources to increase the energy efficiency of municipal buildings. Although an EU-funded waste incinerator will hopefully be off the table, questions still remain about the most appropriate heating solution.

Any system will need to involve a combination of measures: the refurbishing of buildings and distribution networks to improve insulation, underground heat storage, and renewable technologies such as heat pumps and solar power systems.

The Slovak government is looking to the EU for funding and guidance on this and other transformation projects. Will the EU support local solutions which benefit local people, or will they instead cater to the desires of the power holders in Bratislava and corporate headquarters?

The Czech coal commission and its planned fossil fuels phase-out

It is true that greenhouse gas emissions in the Czech Republic actually decreased by 13% compared to the year 2000. However, this decrease primarily took place in the past, not in the last 5 years. It is also alarming that since 2000, emissions from waste have increased by 47% (mainly due to the accumulation of biowaste in landfills) and those in the transport sector by 54%. The Czech Republic also sadly stands out in terms of per capita emissions: the country emits 11 tonnes of CO2 per person per year, whereas the average is just under 7 tonnes in the EU, 7.5 tonnes in China, 9 tonnes in Germany and 5 tonnes in France.

The coal industry is not closing up shop either: the semi-state-owned company ČEZ failed to withdraw from the contract for the sale of the largest Czech coal-fired power plant to Pavel Tykač and his mining company Vršanská uhelná, which it had the opportunity to do until the end of 2019. This means that in January 2024 the power plant will pass into the hands of this businessman, who has declared interest in its further operation.

However, this outdated power plant is the largest Czech source of carbon dioxide and also, increasingly, toxic mercury in the air: the 229 kg emitted last year represents a 20% increase over the previous year. At the same time, the Ministry of the Environment allows the power plant to deduct 40% of the measured values of toxic mercury as “measurement uncertainty”, making it easier to “meet” health limits. The Czech Republic also enthusiastically exports electricity produced from coal: in 2017 it exported 10.9TWh, and in 2018 and 2019 it exported 13TWh each year.

The coal commission

Since August 2019, the 17 members of the so-called Coal Commission, initiated by the Minister of the Environment, have been meeting, as well as several of its working groups. Despite the disproportionate composition of members in favour of the coal industry, the aim of the Commission is to formulate a recommendation by 30 September 2020 with a specific date for the end of coal mining and combustion in the Czech Republic and addressing individual coal sources — i.e. shutting down the dirtiest and least effective power plants. The Coal Commission is preparing several scenarios for coal phase-out: the business-as-usual scenario (i.e. the state will not interfere with coal business) with a phase-out by 2045 or 2050; a scenario corresponding to the German approach, with a phase-out between 2038 and 2040; and a scenario which would see phase-out by 2030-2035.

The Czech Republic is a signatory country to the Paris Climate Agreement, which has the global objective to limit temperature growth to 1.5 degrees (and maximum 2 degrees) compared to the pre-industrial period. However, with its current coal-burning plans (for example, the National Climate and Energy Plan), the country is not contributing enough to achieving this objective. In 2020, the Czech Republic must put forward a new national reduction target, one that is more ambitious. The Coal Commission’s scenario which proposes a rapid end to coal (between 2030 and 2035) needs to be modeled, not only to meet the Czech share of the global climate commitment, but also because the price increase of emission allowances may eliminate the coal industry before the planned lifetime of coal-fired power plants.

In the context of the decline in coal use, coal reserves should also be written off beyond the so-called territorial-ecological mining limits. The write-off of stocks are already part of the Government Resolution on Mining Limits of 1991, but the measure has never been realised.

The decline in coal mining and use is supported by the public. Surveys show that coal burning is the least preferred option for generating energy (71% of people agree to close all coal-fired power stations, but most believe this should be done gradually — the most ambitious group is people aged 18-24, out of whom one third see coal ending in 2030).

More than 10,000 people signed the public call against the sale of the Počerady power plant in 2019, as well as 60 personalities from North Bohemian and national politics, medicine, science and art, such as former prime ministers Petr Pithart and Vladimír Špidla, four former environmental ministers, Senator Alena Dernerová, Mayor Ivana Sihlovcová of Dobroměřice near Počerady and the Director of the Global Change Research Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences Michal V. Marek.

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