Page 74 - Waste-to-Energy in the Danube Strategy Region. Challenges and Prospects

4.7 Conclusion & identified best practices

As challenges occur during all phases of a WtE project, looking into a specific case can reveal

some general patterns of best practices that could be relevant beyond the individual case. While
examining the Zwentendorf case, several steps were tracked to uncover the best practises

ensuring successful completion of the project leading to the facility’s current operations.

Firstly, national waste management policy was created after years of discussion and taking
into consideration best practices in Switzerland and Germany. Key pieces of legislation were

gradually introduced with long enough timeframes for both citizens and industries to adapt.

Support for these efforts came not only from law but also through several economic tools such

as subsidies, insurance of investments, and the establishment of higher landfill taxes (Alfons 2018).
These tools created an environment where investment in WtE was stable and appealing.

The local government of Lower Austria also played an important role in fulfilling new

national waste management goals. To improve waste management in the region, the decision to

build a WtE plant was made very early in 1994 under the public–private partnership company EVN
Abfallverwertung NÖ. The initiative was then driven by both the private company and the regional

government with the aim to improve waste management for local citizens. Thanks to the synergy

of political will and the company’s knowhow, the plant was finished in 18 months upon receiving

all necessary approvals.
Secondly, the operation of the plant is highly efficient due to the idea of energetic

interplay, wherein the WtE plant is interconnected to an adjacent power plant thereby reducing

the burning of fossil fuels and decreasing emissions. The plant is also connected to local district

heating systems in St. Pölten and Zwentendorf and to a nearby bioethanol plant. Furthermore,
Zwentendorf’s continual operation is guaranteed by the delivery of waste by both rail and truck

both domestically and internationally. The rail connection in particular allows the plant to import

waste from long distances and thereby benefit from waste management imbalances in

neighbouring countries such as Italy. Such synergies should certainly be considered when
developing any new WtE project.

Project co-funded by the European Union
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