New Waste-Burning Plant Will 'Reduce Tallinn Heat Bills'
A waste-to-energy plant currently under construction in Iru could knock as much as 30 percent off heat bills in Tallinn and Maardu after it comes on line next summer, its owner, Eesti Energia, has said.
The facility, the first of kind in the country, would produce heat and electricity using more than 300,000 tons of household waste the country produces each year as its fuel source.
"We can produce 17 megawatts of electricity. This means that in winter we can provide electricity for the average Estonian city [and] 50 megawatts of heat, about a third of the consumption of Tallinn," Eesti Energia board member Raine Pajo told ETV.
Pajo said that electricity from the plant would be part of his company's offer when consumers start buying their electricity on the open market next year.
While there is no equivalent market for heat energy, Pajo said the plant would be competitive, offering a price that is lower than what others charge.
Eesti Energia paid about 105 million euros to build the plant and expects it to pay for itself in about 10 years.
Steve Roman