Vilnius seeks more waste incineration capacity, but no new plant planned

Vilnius requires enhanced waste incineration capabilities as its power plant is currently handling the region's entire waste stream, including a backlog from a mechanical-biological treatment facility. The city's mayor highlighted the urgent need for greater capacity, a sentiment echoed by the former environment minister, who indicated discussions with the Vilnius Cogeneration Power Plant (VKJ) about increasing its waste processing volume.

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Currently, 'Ignitis grupė' operates the Vilnius and Kaunas cogeneration power plants. There are no plans to invest in another new power plant.

Despite the growing demand, "Ignitis Group," the operator of VKJ, stated that there are no current plans to invest in a new power plant. Rima Aukštuolytė, a VKJ representative, confirmed that all available capacity is currently dedicated to Vilnius due to an declared emergency situation in the region. While the plant is not refusing waste from other regions, the Vilnius Emergency Operations Center is managing the flow.

The plant's ability to incinerate Vilnius's waste is currently constrained by its filters. Aukštuolytė explained that a technical solution allows for filter replacement without halting operations, though the process is slower. The goal is to complete this by mid-September to increase daily processing capacity, which is currently limited to 450 tons due to clogged filters. Planning is done weekly, but this will become more predictable once most filters are replaced.

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We are not refusing to accept waste from other regions, but currently, with an emergency declared in the Vilnius region, the Vilnius ESOC distributes the flows.

The waste crisis, which intensified in July, has affected other regions like Utena and Alytus. This situation stems from a fire last year at a Vilnius mixed waste sorting plant, which has not fully recovered. The Vilnius Waste Management Center (VAATC) terminated its contract with the private operator "Energesman" due to unfulfilled obligations, leading to a legal dispute. VAATC has since taken over operations of the sorting plant, a decision "Energesman" has appealed.

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Normally, when replacing them, the power plant is stopped, but we found a technical solution that currently allows filters to be changed without stopping the power plant. The process is therefore a bit slower, planned to be completed by mid-September, but this allows waste to be accepted into the power plant daily and contributes to reducing its quantity.