The role of waste to energy facilities in the power sector of EU

European Union is energy depended as its resources cannot cover the increased needs of the continent. A significant volume of fossil fuels are imported to cover the energy needs of the countries in Europe. At the same time more and more municipal solid waste have been created as European society has grown wealthier. Each year, 3 billion tons of wastes are produced in the European Union - 90 million tons of them are hazardous. According to Eurostat statistics, about 6Mg of solid wastes are produced in the EU every day. The produced municipal wastes present a non negligible Lower Calorific Value that should be considered as a power source. The extensive experience in waste to energy facilities makes this a strong possibility. The work presented here is focusing on the evaluation of the present role of the waste to energy facilities of EU to its power sector.