MaXXcon to build waste-to-energy stations in Germany

OSTERODE AM HARZ, GERMANY - German energy company MaXXcon GmbH & Co KG plans to build two waste-to-energy power stations in Germany.

A power facility will be built in Langelsheim, Lower Saxony, which will transform 225,000 tons of refuse per year into 30 megawatts (MW) of energy and 120 MW of heat.

Construction is planned to kick off August 2010, with completion set for December 2011.

The project's total investment cost is estimated to be 100 million euros (US$150 million). The largest part will come from shareholder equity, although MaXXcon is seeking investors.

The second waste-to-energy utility will be built in Osnabrueck, Lower Saxony. For this project, MaXXcon is working with two partners: Stadtwerke Osnabrueck, the local public utility company, and the paper mill Ahlstrom Osnabrueck GmbH. The Hase Power Plant will be constructed near the mill to supply process heat and power. The remaining energy and heat will be sold to the public grid. Generating capacity is the same as the Langelsheim plant: 30 MW of power and 120 MW of heat. The project is in the very early stages, and feasibility studies are still under way. Construction is planned to begin in June 2012, with completion set for June 2014. The companies will spend approximately 120 million euros (US$180 million) on the Hase project.

Since 2005, the disposal of untreated municipal waste has been forbidden in Germany, creating a boom in the waste-to-energy market. High heating value residue is mechanically treated and used as refuse-derived fuel for power plants.

Currently in Germany, 25 waste-to-energy power plants are in operation, with a total thermal output of 1,504 MW. By 2011, 36 power plants with a total thermal output of 2,721 MW will be in operation, although resistance from the local population and difficulties in obtaining environmental and related permits have caused 30 power plant projects to be halted.