This report has been prepared by CIT Renergy, Carbon Limits and Motiva Services within the scope of the project “Waste incineration in the Nordic countries - A status assessment with regard to emissions and recycling” and summarizes the data found on this sector for the different countries.
In chapter 1, the status and relevant history of the waste incineration sector is described for every country, covering types and volumes of waste incinerated as well as the generation of heat and power and the resulting CO2 emissions. Current and projected technological developments are included as well.
The Nordic countries differ greatly in their industrial setup: While forestry and mining play an important role in Finland and Sweden, the oil- and gas industry is vital for Norway’s economy. Also, the power- and heating sectors, especially concerning the use of district heating, are diverse. As a result, the overall composition of waste in the Nordic countries is different as well. Thus, this report focuses on municipal waste, which is deemed to be more comparable between countries, even though data on total incineration capacity is also included.
Chapter 2 covers the legislative framework, both from a national, Nordic, and European perspective. The countries’ view on including waste incineration in the ETS scheme is discussed as well as their different taxation strategies and the implementation of other EU regulations.
The input from chapters 1 and 2 is used as input for a synthesis in chapter 3, where questions concerning CCUS, circular economy and factors impacting the future sizing of the Nordic waste incineration sector are discussed as well as input from a series of interviews with actors in the waste incineration sector.
Chapter 4 concludes the report with an outlook on near-term trends and different possible long-term outcomes.