Utilizing official data from the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE), the environmental group Zero has highlighted the significant greenhouse gas emissions from various electricity production methods. The analysis indicates that the most polluting form of electricity generation, except for the use of diesel in Madeira, is the incineration of municipal waste.
The emission levels from incineration on the mainland nearly double those from fossil natural gas and fossil cogeneration. In the Azores, gas emissions due to diesel use are extremely high, but incineration results in even greater emissions. In Madeira, diesel use releases more gases than incineration.
“Since 2006, there is evidence showing that the incineration of municipal waste (RU) is one of the most polluting methods for producing electricity in the national electrical system, despite having been subsidized as renewable energy for several years,” states Zero in their statement.
The high emissions are attributed to fossil carbon materials, such as plastics, present in waste. Additionally, the low energy efficiency is due to the high water content in waste, especially because of biowaste.
The association warns of “interests connected to the waste incineration sector” attempting to persuade the country to spend over one billion euros on constructing more incinerators, which cannot be funded by community grants.
They advocate for better alternatives to incineration, emphasizing the importance of efficient waste separation, including biowaste, and the pre-treatment of all undifferentiated waste.
Mechanical and biological treatment (TMB) plants can play a “crucial role” in treating undifferentiated waste, offering climate benefits, aiding carbon soil fixation, allowing renewable energy production (biomethane), and reducing emissions in energy production processes.
Zero stresses the importance of the government, waste management systems, and particularly municipalities, understanding that there are more sustainable and cost-effective ways to manage urban waste with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
