Norway-headed resource management company Geminor AS has announced that it has reached a new milestone when the first refuse-derived fuel (RDF) stream recently opened between France and Germany.
The first truck, which passed the French-German border contained 23 tonnes of waste for energy recovery and will be followed by five trucks weekly in the remainder of 2023.
We are seeing an increasing interest in waste export in France, and more reluctance towards landfilling. Even though this is a soft start, we are very enthusiastic to get our RDF stream running from France. This is now possible due to a bigger interest in waste export in France, in addition to a growing need for RDF in Germany. Simultaneously, we sense a growing reluctance towards sending waste to landfills in France, said Kai Schöpwinkel, CM for Geminor France.
The project will send 5,000 tonnes of RDF to EfW plants in Southern Germany in 2024.
Lack of energy recovery capacity opens for export
With close to 60 nuclear plants, France is still a premature market when it comes to energy recovery. This opens for the export of different fractions.
A surplus of waste in the French market brings export potential, and we are working closely with our office in Germany to divert more waste from landfills to energy production. A French landfill tax is an incentive for more exports, but public opinion is just as important. Waste producers are showing an interest in more sustainable offtake, even if this is in other parts of the EU, explained Kai Schöpwinkel.
Expanding French presence
Earlier this year, Geminor France started the delivery of waste wood to Germany, sending three shipments of 1,500 tonnes for energy from waste (EfW) production in the neighboring country.
The growing activity has led to the expansion of the French office outside of Bordeaux, which now also includes a logistics manager, bulk expert Stephanie Housieaux.
All markets in Europe have cultural, industrial, and regulatory differences. France is Geminor’s newest market, and we need time to establish good relations and trust in this market. Our ambition is to build a strong team, work with more fractions, and assist in making France an integrated part of the European waste market, ended Kai Schöpwinkel.
