Portugal hosted the international conference ‘Powering the Future – Energy Recovery in Portugal’, an initiative promoted by EGF, Valorsul and ISWA - International Solid Waste Association.
The meeting, which brought together national and international experts to discuss the future of waste management, with a special focus on energy recovery, reflected on the challenges and opportunities for the sector in creating a new value cycle based on clean energy production and the promotion of the circular economy. At the opening of the conference, the Secretary of State for the Environment, João Manuel Esteves, highlighted that ‘energy recovery is one of the solutions to two of today's greatest environmental challenges: waste management and sustainable energy production’.
Aware of the urgent need to transform the current urban waste management landscape in Portugal and other countries, where a significant percentage of waste continues to be deposited in landfills, industry representatives discussed energy recovery as a strategic solution for transitioning from the current model, in order to create value from non-recyclable waste and reduce the ecological footprint.
Based on European best practices and examples from countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, which use energy recovery and have high recycling rates and minimal landfill disposal, it was reinforced at the meeting that, although the priority remains to reduce, reuse and recycle, energy recovery represents the most sustainable solution for waste that cannot be recycled.
As part of this strategy, Marta Neves, Director of EGF and Chair of Valorsul, announced that ‘an international study is underway for the expansion of the Energy Recovery Plant, with a fourth line’, in order to define, together with local authorities, regulatory bodies, investors and the local community, a sustainable, efficient and strategic solution not only for the region but also for the country.
This investment reinforces the company's commitment to energy transition and to creating a more circular waste management model that is less dependent on landfill.
The study currently under development will analyse waste treatment needs and solutions for the entire Lisbon and Tagus Valley (LVT) region until 2055, also including neighbouring regions facing growing capacity challenges.
The ongoing study aims to answer fundamental questions for the future of waste management in the LVT region: how to ensure integrated and efficient management, how to reduce dependence on landfills, and how to align this infrastructure with national and European decarbonisation and circular economy goals.
From an environmental point of view, it will assess how the construction of a new line could contribute to reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, incorporating more advanced technologies with higher efficiency standards and lower emissions. From an energy perspective, the expansion of the plant paves the way for strengthening its role in national energy security through the production of non-intermittent renewable electricity, as well as for exploring heat utilisation solutions for application in urban or industrial networks.
As a complement to the study, the importance of an in-depth analysis of the legal and regulatory framework that allows for a more robust commitment to energy recovery was also reinforced. The Portuguese system is characterised by high territorial and institutional rigidity, where the contractual boundaries of multi-municipal and inter-municipal systems hinder the sharing of infrastructure and the adoption of integrated solutions.
In this context, it is essential to review the legal and operational mechanisms that enable more collaborative and efficient management, in line with sustainability and energy transition objectives.