Energy production
Using your residual waste as fuel means reduces the depletion of fossil fuel sources.
The combustion of household waste (3 furnaces, each burning 19 tonnes per hour) produces steam. Until January 2016, this steam was sent exclusively to three turbines, with an annual electricity output equivalent to the needs of 65,000 households in Brussels.
Since January 2016, a heating system has also been in operation.
Benefits of the heating system
From 1 tonne of waste, we can produce:
- 500 kWh of electricity;
- or 2,000 kWhth of heat
Energy efficiency:
- for an electricity generation facility, this varies between 25 and 55%
- for a heat generation facility, it varies between 85 and 95%
The heating system’s environmental impact
Annual targets with a maximum capacity of 20 MW:
- 30 000 000 kWh of energy consumption (gas, fuel oil, etc.) saved (equivalent to the consumption of 1,200 households)
- 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions saved
Less pollution (fine particles from individual boilers)
The heating system’s economic impact
- Positive economic outcome for consumers
- Greater safety (no fires, gas leaks, etc.)
- No chimney needed, making smaller service rooms possible
- Shorter energy transmission distance
Heating system users
The heating system has been supplying the Docks shopping centre and local SMEs since October 2016. The greenhouses of the Royal Estates were connected in mid-2020.