At Poznan, in Poland, waste is converted to electricity to meet the growing needs of the population

The fifth-largest city in Poland, Poznań inaugurated the country's first waste incineration plant some 80 years ago.

In response to the new waste treatment framework directive, which allows municipalities to fully sort, collecte, transport, recycle and dispose of municipal waste, the city of Poznań decided to build an energy from waste plant.

This new infrastructure represents an opportunity for the region to reduce the amount of landfilled waste and to meet the growing needs of the population for electricity.

The energy from waste plant was built on land granted by the city of Poznań and commissioned in 2016.

Energy production from waste: a new resource
Based on innovative incineration and co-generation methods, the energy from waste plant built by SUEZ produces both electricity and heat.

• Non-recyclable waste is incinerated.
  
• Combustion activates a turbine used to produce electricity, injected into the city's electrical grid.
  
• The heat generated by the incineration supplies the district heating in Poznań.

Waste thus becomes a vital resource for the city's energy supply.

A PPP to optimise the financing of the project
The city of Poznań chose to undertake this project in the form of a public-private partnership, thereby limiting the impact on the city's budget.

In December 2012, after a six-month competitive dialogue, it signed a 25-year construction, operation and transfer contract with the joint venture set up by SUEZ and the Marguerite Fund, the European Fund for Energy, Climate Change and Infrastructure.

• The granting of this subsidy by the European Union allowed for increasing the scope of the project. This European funding was granted only after SUEZ was selected.
  
• The total cost of this investment, €180 million, was financed via a European subsidy of €84 million and a non-recourse loan of €96 million.
  
  

This energy from waste plant is the result of the first public-private partnership signed in Poland in the waste management field.