- The government’s maneuvers regarding the Waste to Energy Plan will result in a 30% increase in municipal fees.
- What is the “trick” to turn waste into energy?
- Citizens will once again foot the bill.
- Why are they planning to exclude local government from any waste management planning and make the PPC (Public Power Corporation) a key player?
- Where will the 2 million tons per year produced in Attica end up?
- The six incinerators in Attica, Boeotia, Arcadia, Rhodope, Kozani, and Heraklion, Crete, are being planned without specific site designations.
By Aris Chatzigeorgiou
With an annual cost that could reach 500 million euros – resulting in a 30% increase in municipal taxes on electricity bills – the exclusion of local authorities from any planning and the elevation of the PPC (Public Power Corporation) to a central role in waste management, the government’s orchestrated plan for the “Waste to Energy” project is beginning to come to light.
Today, Data Journalists reveal key details from the “confidential and classified” plan, which was presented during a recent “closed event” in Athens. The event was attended by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN) and representatives of the market who want to be active in this sector, with PPC as the leading player. It is worth noting that following this closed event, selective excerpts of the presentation were leaked to the press, focusing on the areas where the relevant study generally – and without specific site designations – proposes the construction of six waste incineration plants (Attica, Boeotia, Arcadia, Rhodope, Kozani and Heraklion in Crete).
What remained strictly sealed was the part of the study dealing with the operational costs of the plan, which will be borne by millions of households across Greece. The cost figures were kept secret not only for the obvious reason of avoiding public alarm over the sharp increase in municipal fees in the coming decades. A major reason for withholding this information is also the considerable ambiguity surrounding how these costs will be distributed within the new market that will be created – a market that will combine the complexities of the construction, energy, and transportation sectors.
On page seven of the presentation, there is a cost estimate that gives a market cost of 222 million euros. Below, we will see that this figure is considered to be underestimated and could easily reach 500 million Euros. The numerical analysis presented at this point is not supported by actual calculations, and the key assumptions are shown to be arbitrary.
– For example, it is stated that the amount of waste to be disposed of in incinerators will be 1,183,000 tons on average over 25 years. But how is this possible when current waste production is around 5 million tons per year? It would mean that nearly 80% of the remaining waste would have to be either recycled or processed in some other way without ending up in incineration.
– Such a drastic reduction in waste destined for incineration is considered highly unrealistic, given that the current recycling rate is below 20%, and in Attica, where the highest volume of waste is generated, the rate is even below 10%. The government has promised the construction of Waste Treatment Units (WTUs) by 2020, but the processes have been excessively delayed, and most projects are still at the contract signing stage. Attica in particular remains a “black hole”, as the two major PPP tenders launched by the Attica region in 2021, with an initial budget of 700 million euros, remain frozen, and the plants have not even been assigned specific locations.
– Another key assumption that has been challenged as underestimated is the projected cost of transporting waste for incineration. This cost is set at 32 euros per ton. However, the distances involved are enormous. Thousands of tons will have to be transported daily from Thessaly, Epirus, Central Macedonia, and even Corfu to Kozani. Arcadia will receive waste from the Ionian Islands, the Peloponnese, and Aetolia-Acarnania. Boeotia will receive waste from all of Central Greece, Attica from its 4 million inhabitants, and Heraklion from the entire island of Crete.
– On the cost analysis page, the amount listed for transportation is 42 million euros. Dividing this by 32 euros per ton gives a volume of 1.3 million tons. However, the core assumptions mention a total volume of 1,183,000 tons, of which 134,000 tons are for cement plants. However, it is estimated that the real transport cost per ton will end up being significantly higher. It is even directly stated that “the settlement of transportation costs will be handled directly by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN)”.
– It is also projected that the gate fee at the waste incineration plants will be 93.5 euros per ton. This implies a total projected cost of 98.1 million euros. However, this amount does not appear anywhere in the report!
– Instead, two figures are presented: 51 million and 129 million euros, corresponding to the cost of subsidizing electricity generation and the cost of energy recovery, respectively. This breakdown is based on the following assumption: 57% of the electricity produced is classified as coming from renewable energy sources (RES) and is subsidized at 155 euros per megawatt-hour. The remaining electricity is remunerated based on the market-clearing price, which is assumed to be 75 euros per megawatt-hour. It’s worth noting that last winter the market-clearing price often exceeded 100 euros, and during periods of high demand it rose to 200, 300 euros, or even higher. Nevertheless, the figures of 51 million and 129 million euros are not the result of a real multiplication of the quantities indicated. Elsewhere in the presentation, it is only projected that this entire process will yield 1,030 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, or just 2% of the national electricity production (51.8 gigawatt-hours).
– The study assumes that 134,000 tons of processed waste will be sent to energy-intensive industries (EIIs) instead of the six electricity-generating incinerators. It should be noted that some cement plants already receive RDF. However, the projection that these cement plants will accept and be paid, not pay, but be paid, at a rate of 10 euros per ton is considered to be grossly underestimated, and the final cost is expected to be significantly higher.
– One of the most striking examples of how waste management costs will increase dramatically is in Attica. Municipalities and their residents are currently charged 55 euros per ton for waste sent to the Fyli landfill (1.8 to 2 million tons per year). Attica has no waste treatment plant and is not expected to have one in the foreseeable future, which means that this entire volume could be sent to incineration. This means that the 55-euro fee would be replaced by the 93.5-euro gate fee – an increase of 70%. To this must be added a transport cost of 32 euros per ton, unless this is reduced if the incinerator is built in Fyli itself. If the costs of renewable energy subsidies and energy recovery are included, the total cost to Attica residents could even triple.
Beyond the cost estimates, the study we uncovered suffers from several other deficiencies, as it fails to explain how numerous gaps will be addressed – gaps in environmental protection, legal and permitting frameworks, financing, and siting of facilities. While the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN) may promise state-of-the-art pollution control technologies, emissions of hazardous substances from smokestacks must be continuously monitored by mechanisms that do not currently exist. There must also be an authority capable of enforcing compliance with pollution control regulations, which are costly to implement. Finally, the ash produced by incineration must be buried in special landfills, which do not exist in Greece.
The siting of plants, i.e., the selection of specific sites for their construction, is likely to meet with strong opposition from regional and local authorities, which are at the same time completely sidelined in waste management decisions. The European Union does not finance incinerators, especially if they are not preceded by very high levels of recycling (over 50%), separate collection of organic waste, and reuse.
A preview of the expected backlash comes from a formal parliamentary question submitted to Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou by PASOK-KINAL MP for Kozani, Paris Koukoulopoulos. The question focuses on the incinerator planned for Kozani in Western Macedonia and the leading role that the Public Power Corporation (PPC/DEI) intends to play in this new business venture.
The MP recalls that on April 3, 2025, during a PPC (Public Power Corporation) event at the Kardia thermal power plant, which was attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the company’s CEO, Giorgos Stassis, stated that a new thermal waste-to-energy plant is being considered “depending on the progress of the licensing framework.” “The waste-to-energy plant will be built on the current lignite yard of the Ptolemaida 5 power plant. The plant is designed to include a generator with a capacity of approximately 38 MW, which, in addition to electricity, will also provide thermal energy to meet district heating needs. The plant will incorporate state-of-the-art pollution control technology. A key component is the recovery of recyclable materials from the combustion by-products. This is an investment of around €300 million and will employ 200 people during the construction phase,” said the PPC boss.
Paris Koukoulopoulos points out that since the above statements were made in the presence of the Prime Minister, there has been a complete lack of information and consultation with local residents and the local government of the area. Following the fragmented reports published at the end of April, the issue of the Kozani incinerator dominated the Regional Council meeting on May 5, 2025. “However, the situation did not become clearer. On the contrary, more questions were raised – questions that primarily concern the government”. On this basis, Mr. Papastavrou is asked:
– What is the government’s plan, and to what extent does it include the announcements made by PPC?
– Why is PPC given a leading role in waste management, especially in the region of Western Macedonia, where the local government, through DIADYMA, has effectively and successfully fulfilled this responsibility, serving as a national model?
