Dublin Waste to Energy facility processes one millionth tonne

Dublin Waste to Energy facility has accepted its one millionth tonnes of residual waste at its facility at Poolbeg in Dublin. It was delivered by Keywaste Ltd., which is one of the companies contracted to deliver waste to the facility. 

It has been operating since June 2017 and is currently accepting 600,000 tonnes of waste per year. Since beginning its operation it has produced over 700,000 megawatt hours of electricity, resulting in over 100,000 homes being supplied with renewable energy.  

The Dublin Waste-to-Energy project is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Dublin City Council (acting on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities) and Covanta, a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions, to provide a thermal treatment plant to treat municipal waste that cannot be reused or recycled.

Located in Poolbeg, in Dublin Port, the facility provides the Dublin region with a long-term sustainable and environmentally superior waste management solution, enabling it to divert post-recycled waste from landfills and become locally self-sufficient in managing waste, consistent with regional, national and EU waste policies.

Annually, the facility generates clean energy to supply 80,000 homes, reducing Ireland’s reliance on imported fossil fuel, and has also been designed with technology and infrastructure to provide enough heat to meet the equivalent needs of over 50,000 homes.

John Daly, General Manager of Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd said, “This is a key milestone in the operation of the facility and demonstrates the demand in Ireland for diverting waste away from landfill. The performance of the Dublin Waste to Energy facility also means that 600,000 tonnes per annum have not been exported to other European countries or landfilled and instead the waste was converted to energy locally. Therefore, Ireland has become much more self-sufficient as a result of the Dublin Waste to Energy facility.”

Mr. Daly went on to say that, “The generation of renewable energy from residual waste has helped Ireland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and correspondingly reduce its dependence on fossil fuels as an energy source. I want to congratulate the team here in Dublin Waste to Energy, who continuously ensure we are out-performing the original expectations of the facility and continue to operate in a safe and efficient environment.” 

Covanta is a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions. Annually, Covanta’s modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely convert approximately 22 million tons of waste from municipalities and businesses into clean, renewable electricity to power one million homes and recycle over 600,000 tons of metal. Through a vast network of treatment and recycling facilities, Covanta also provides comprehensive industrial material management services to companies seeking solutions to some of today’s most complex environmental challenges. For more information, visit covanta.com.