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ABREN is a member of the Global Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council (GWC) and is an associate of the International Solid Waste Association or International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)

Ministry of Mines and Energy Announces Brazil's First MSW Energy Recovery Auction

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From left to right: Grace Nogueira (Institutional Director of ABREN), Yuri Schmitke (President of ABREN), Mario Silveira (LBR Engenharia), Alm. Bento Albuquerque (Minister of Mines and Energy), Paulo César (Secretary SPE / MME and Deputy Lafayete Andrada (PRB / MG).


ABREN celebrates with great satisfaction the official announcement by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) on the launch of the first auction of a thermoelectric plant based on the energy recovery of Solid Urban Waste (MSW), as a result of significant work by ABREN, which began in October 2019 with the organization of a Workshop at MME, and the various meetings and studies sent by ABREN to MME and the Energy Research Company (EPE).

The MME's decision to include energy recovery from waste in the 2021 energy auctions “will leverage the effectiveness of market conditions for the implementation of the first Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant in the country, boosting business opportunities in the sector and boosting the interest in Brazil of domestic and international investors in this type of technology ”, points out Yuri Schmitke, President of ABREN.

In a meeting today (8/12) with the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, attended by the Secretary of Energy Planning, Paulo Cesar Magalhães Domingues and Deputy Lafayette de Andrada (PRB / MG), ABREN clarified that there are approximately 2,340 high-tech WTE plants in operation worldwide, from the state of the art of technological development, with sophisticated Air Pollution Control (APC) systems, to treat non-recyclable waste and generate clean and renewable energy.

From left to right: Yuri Schmitke, Deputy Lafayete Andrada and Minister Bento Albuquerque

In Brazil, “considering the 28 metropolitan regions with population over 1 million inhabitants, and 35 municipalities with population over 600 thousand inhabitants, with an average Lower Heat Power (LHV) of 7,500 kJ / kg (national average), 8,000 hours / year, we have the potential of up to 250 WTE plants (20 MWe each), able to meet 6.4% of the national demand for electricity (30.65 TWhe / year), with CAPEX investments of R$ 160 billion ”, highlighted Mr. Schmitke during the meeting.


We do not yet have a WTE plant in Brazil in commercial operation, but more than a dozen projects are under development, in various stages, with emphasis on the five projects below, which, together, total approximately one potential and 195 MW of installed power to Brazil, from the energy recovery of waste.

The avoided costs and the positive externalities of the WTE plants were also emphasized at the meeting: “evaluating the avoided costs, a WTE plant, which has an effective cost of R $ 600 / MWh, while avoiding the transmission cost (R $ 37.00 / MWh), waste transportation (R $ 300.00 / MWh) and public greetings (R $ 150.00 / MWh), the real cost is R $ 113.00 / MWh, lower than all other sources that exist today if we consider their real cost (Levelized Cost of Energy - LCE) ”, revealed the President of ABREN to the participants.

In addition to being a feasible option and with proven results in the proper treatment of tailings (non-recyclable waste), a WTE plant also incorporates advantageous attributes to the energy sector itself, namely: (i) reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 8x greenhouse effect when compared to landfill with gas capture [5th IPCC Report, 2011], (ii) constitute very low intermittent capacity energy, with guarantee of continuous and uninterrupted generation above 92% in its operation, (ii) generate energy at competitive prices when compared to conventional thermoelectric powered by fossil fuel (diesel or crude oil), unfortunately still widely used in Brazil.

There is also a relevant short-term data to be urgently incorporated into the logic of the country's relevant public policies, such as the National Solid Waste Plan: many landfills are running out in Brazilian metropolitan regions. “According to data from CETESB (2018), only in the State of São Paulo it is expected that most landfills will be exhausted in the next 3 years. In Brazil, it should be noted that 12 of the 28 urban centers that receive waste from 11 capitals are in Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs), and the Federal Supreme Court ruled that the construction or expansion of such landfills was illegal. Caieiras (12,000 ton / day) and Seropédica (9,500 ton / day) are located in PPAs and together account for more than 20 million inhabitants in the metropolitan areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, respectively, ”said Yuri to Minister Bento Albuquerque.

Auctions of new energy types A-5 and A-6 are also planned in September, for the contracting of energy from hydroelectric, wind, solar photovoltaic plants, in addition to thermal energy from the energy recovery of solid urban waste. Biomass, mineral coal and natural gas thermal plants are also planned. Furthermore, there is the possibility that the government will hold an auction to contract capacity energy in the second half of 2021.

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