Boiler shutdown rates and dioxin emission density has decreased at the nation’s 24 refuse incineration plants, a report released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said.
The nation’s first refuse incineration plants were built in the 1990s and incineration has become the main means of waste disposal, followed by landfill, during the past two decades, the EPA said.
REGULAR EVALUATIONS
To assess the performance at the plants, regular evaluations and reviews have been implemented since 2001, EPA officials said, adding that over the years environmental agencies had been instructed to monitor the plants and to increase green space around them for nearby residents.
Pollution prevention and energy saving at the plants are also important factors, Bureau of Environmental Inspection Inspector General Chen Shyan-heng (陳咸亨) said.
Chen said there had been noticeable improvements in the reduction of dioxin densities and carbon emissions, as well as energy generation.
He said dioxin emission density assessments were carried out twice a year and that evaluation reviews were done on short notice, with plants being notified only a few hours before officials arrived.
POWER GENERATION
The total amount of power generated by the plants reached 2.86 million kilowatt-hours in 2006, 2.92 million kilowatt-hours in 2009 and 3.03 million kilowatt-hours last year, he said.
Chen said that 76.8 percent of the electricity generated by the plants was sold to Taipower Co last year, generating revenue of about NT$4.3 billion (US$117.6 million).
However, there was still room for improvement, such as in the distribution of waste from counties with no incineration plants to plants that have enough capacity to accommodate it, making efficient use of the heat produced in the process and in reducing boiler shutdown rates to increase efficiency.
Chen said the EPA was looking into ways of making the best use of the heat produced and that negotiations with other industries were necessary.
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