At a facility not far from a large shopping center in Ålesund, Tafjord combined heat and power is located. Here they accept the rubbish from Ålesund and the surrounding area. – Here we accept waste that cannot be materially recycled or reused, Irene Vik, daily manager of Tafjord Kraftvarme. The rubbish is burned, and the heat from the plant is used for district heating, to heat up Ålesund. Here they follow the two omnans where the rubbish is burned. In addition, they have control over the district heating plant in Ålesund. Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / news – Poor environmental accounting The facility receives less rubbish than they did before, which means that they will run into a deficit of millions in the years to come. The reason why they get less rubbish is not because there is not as much thrown away, but because it has become more expensive to burn the rubbish, due to a tax. After the government introduced this tax, it has become cheaper to send rubbish to Sweden, for example. The fee was introduced as an environmental measure, because the smoke from the district heating plant released CO₂. The managing director of Tafjord kraftvarme thinks the measure is a bad hit. – It is a bit shorter to transport local waste here in Ålesund than to send it by car all the way to Sweden. So I think everyone sees that it is a bad environmental account, says Irene Vik. This garbage eventually ends up as hot water in the shower. Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / news From 2022 to 2023, they went from 95,000 tonnes of rubbish a year to 72,000 tonnes. – Then we will reduce our combustion capacity and introduce measures such as a heat pump, in order to be able to maintain the delivery obligation for district heating. A heat pump runs on electricity, so then we do not contribute to relieving the power grid, but instead burden it, she says. Critical for those who operate district heating Oda Therese Gipling, who is the day-to-day manager of Norwegian District Heating, says this tax is critical for everyone who operates district heating. She says that many of the companies work to take environmentally friendly measures. But when they have to pay more money in taxes, this goes beyond the environmental investment. – It weakens the facility’s ability to make environmentally friendly investments. It is now completely gone, with the tax having increased by over 85%. Gipling also believes that the tax goes beyond preparedness. Because several district heating companies now have to charge the electricity grid in order to supply heat. This also applies to Tafjord Kraftvarme, which this winter had to use electricity to supply heat to Ålesund. The Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for this fee, says they are not in a position to be interviewed about this matter. But they write this in an e-mail to news. Reply from the Ministry of Finance “Preliminary figures from the Norwegian Environment Agency show that the import of waste for energy recovery has remained unchanged in the period 2017-2023, but that the export of combustible waste to Sweden has been reduced by 33 per cent in the same period. Preliminary figures for 2023 also show that the export of combustible waste to Sweden was reduced from 2022 to 2023, despite the fact that the rate increased from NOK 192 to NOK 238 per tonne of CO2 equivalents. Waste exported to Sweden will be burned within the EU’s quota system. Increased emissions from Swedish quota-obliged waste facilities will then be matched by lower emissions elsewhere in the quota market. Emissions from all Swedish incineration plants are subject to the EU’s quota system. In recent years, the quota price has been well above the level of the Norwegian waste tax. Currently, the waste tax of NOK 882 per tonne of CO2 equivalents is somewhat higher than the quota price. Emissions from waste incineration make up more than 3 per cent of Norwegian non-quota emissions of greenhouse gases. If we are to be able to fulfill our climate obligations, the waste industry must also adapt and reduce its emissions. Almost 90 per cent of all Norwegian emissions of CO2 are priced through either tax or quota obligation. The purpose of the incineration tax is to contribute to cost-effective reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases. The fee shall also contribute to reducing other environmental damage from waste, including contributing to the proper handling of hazardous waste. When the incineration plants have to pay for emissions, plants that adapt are rewarded. The fee is designed so that facilities that sort waste, invest in CCS technology or reduce their emissions in other ways will receive a reduced fee. The government is concerned with the framework conditions for the Norwegian district heating industry, and is monitoring future developments. In line with the Storting’s request decision, the government must evaluate the waste tax and get back to the Storting in terms of next year’s state budget.” The Ministry of Finance writes in the e-mail that we will quote State Secretary Lars Ravn Vangen on this. – Get the plastic out Irene Vik in Tafjord kraftvarme, we think instead we should work harder to sort the plastic out of the rubbish. – It is the plastic that causes the fossil CO2 emissions. We also don’t want plastic in our surroundings. They lead to both wear and tear and poor emissions. Irene Vik says they are working to ensure that most of what they produce inside Tafjord kraftvarme will become something new. Among other things, heating for houses. The metal that does not burn up is sorted out and sent to another recycling plant. Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / news She believes that the tax that the government has introduced on rubbish does not work as it should. And wants better and more targeted measures. – We are completely in agreement that emissions should cost money. But it is those who pollute who have to pay, not us who clean up, she says. Published 15.07.2024, at 05.20
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My climate tax leads to more emissions – not less – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
