Attero runs three unique Energy-from-Waste plants. The waste that we receive and process on a daily basis is not homogeneous in its composition. Some materials burn well, others less so and some waste streams produce more energy than others. Our management and controls are focused on a maximum energy and heat output, and that requires the fewest possible fluctuations in our incinerating process.
The calorific value, or the flammability of the waste, determines the energy yield. Therefore it is important to know what type of waste you receive and to make sure that the various flows are mixed in the best possible way before you send a dose to the incinerator. We have extremely tight controls on this process. Our committed and experienced employees face the daily challenge of controlling our processes in the best possible way. After all, our objective is to recover the maximum amount of energy from waste. Our plants also benefit from an even and stable process with the fewest possible fluctuations, because that saves on wear and tear and maintenance.
Energy-from-Waste plant Moerdijk
Our plant in Moerdijk is unique because it produces high-pressure steam, which is highly unusual for Energy-from-Waste plants. It produces a lot of extra energy. Each year, we process around one million tonnes of waste in Moerdijk that arrives by road, rail or water. A significant part of this waste comes from England. The Moerdijk site has an extremely favourable location from a logistics point of view. The plant has four incineration lines, three of which are identical in design and have been operational since 1997. The fourth line was constructed in 2008 and has a significantly greater capacity.
A new steam-turbine generator near the existing plant will supply 120 megawatt of energy from the end of 2017. Attero guarantees the supply of sustainable energy for the coming years. In the transition to alternative energy sources, Attero plays an important role with this Energy-from-Waste plant, because it can switch flexibly between producing electricity and heat for the heat grids.
Energy-from-Waste plant Wijster
Our Energy-from-Waste plant Wijster is also unique in the world. The plant combines the separation of residual waste, the recovery of materials from this, and the generation of renewable energy from the remaining part that we burn in our three ovens. We call this combined processing method EfW 2.0. That first stands for 'Energy from Waste'. The addition '2.0' means we have an integrated separation and energy-from-waste plant. Modern installations recover almost all plastics and drinks cartons from the residual waste. In the same way we separate the organic fraction from the residual waste, and automatically send it to a digester that produces biogas. The biogas is upgraded to sustainable natural gas and injected into the regional gas grid. Wijster's plant processes 850,000 tonnes of combustible waste annually, and supplies energy to 100,000 households as well as heat to neighboring industry.
Waste-from-Energy plant Groningen
There is no waste incineration at this plant, as it consists of a combined separation and digesting plant. It is our cradle when it comes to separating part streams from residual waste, and an example of Attero’s EfW 2.0-concept. The Netherlands’ first recovery of drinks cartons from household residual waste took place here, just as the first post-separation of plastic packaging. Besides plastics, we also recover metals and an organic part stream. We use this organic waste in four large digester reactors to produce biogas that we upgrade to millions of cubic metres of sustainable green gas. We supply the city of Groningen with sustainable gas.
With our state of the art and tailor-made facilities, we are ready for the future to process waste efficiently, safely and cleanly and shape the transition to renewable energy.