Tomašević Rejects Claims He Is Blocking Zagreb Waste-to-Energy Plant and Has Split with SDP

“I am fascinated by the number of spins about waste that have been circulated over the past three weeks,” Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said, dismissing claims that he is obstructing the city’s planned waste-to-energy plant. He said responding to every report would leave him with time for little else at City Hall.

Tomašević was responding to a Nacional article that said he was hindering construction of the plant and that the project had caused a dispute with the Social Democratic Party, or SDP. He said Zagreb’s decision to build the facility was clear and insisted that no conflict existed between his Možemo! party and its coalition partner.

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I am fascinated by the number of spins about waste that have been circulated over the past three weeks.

The mayor said a feasibility study for the plant was in its final stage and already showed that the project would be profitable and necessary as a city investment. “Our decision is clear, we are moving forward with it,” he said. He added that the city’s separate waste-management center in Resnik was progressing through the permitting process and preparations for public procurement covering design and construction.

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Our decision is clear, we are moving forward with it.

The two projects are separate, Tomašević said, although they will be connected. Once waste is processed at the future center, refuse-derived fuel will remain and will need to undergo energy recovery, either at a private or a public city plant. “There is no third option,” he said. He added that similar arrangements are being planned for other county waste-management centers in Croatia.

The unresolved issue is the facility’s location in Zagreb. Tomašević said the city could not decide that question alone because the site would affect the plant’s economic viability, making state cooperation necessary.

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There is no third option.