"Solid renewable fuel" (SRF) made from combustible waste has been regarded by the government as the key to turning waste into energy in recent years. While it is developing, the construction of factories has repeatedly caused controversy in the local area. Times Power legislator Chen Jiaohua held a public hearing on the 14th and invited environmental groups and government units to discuss it. Environmental groups question that SRF power generation is not internationally recognized as green electricity. They are also worried that if companies invest heavily in SRF, if the garbage is not burned enough, foreign waste plastics may flow into the country. The Department of Resources and Recycling promised on the spot that it would ban the import of foreign waste plastics to be made into SRF; as for the request to amend the law to remove SRF from renewable energy, the Department of Energy did not respond.
Solid recycled fuel (SRF) made from waste paper and waste plastic. File photo/Photography: Chen Zhaohong
Environmental group approves SRF "fake green electricity", burning waste plastic is equivalent to burning fossil fuels
In order to increase the amount of waste treatment capacity, the government in recent years has encouraged private companies to set up factories to crush and sort combustible waste such as waste plastics and waste paper into SRF, which is then sold to factories and power plants to turn waste into energy. If the power generation efficiency reaches 25%, operators can receive a renewable energy wholesale rate of nearly 3.95 yuan per kilowatt hour. However, environmental groups point out that burning waste plastic is equivalent to burning fossil fuels, and SRF power generation is "fake green electricity."
Times Power Legislator Chen Jiaohua held a public hearing on "SRF burning waste to generate electricity is not green energy, and insufficient regulations are controversial." Representatives from environmental groups, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and local environmental protection bureaus were invited to attend the discussion.
Lin Zhenghan, an associate researcher at Tainan Social University, said that green electricity as defined by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) does not include burning plastics for power generation. He called on the Energy Administration to amend the law to remove SRF containing plastics from the "Renewable Energy Development Ordinance" to avoid Companies that actively switch to green electricity "misuse fake renewable energy" and lose their international competitiveness. Xie Helin, secretary-general of the Taiwan Watch Association, is worried about the protracted revision of the law and requires the Energy Bureau to first reduce the rate of waste-to-energy generation to less than 2 yuan per kilowatt-hour in the wholesale purchase rate review meeting to reduce investment incentives.
Ng Chi-wai, deputy director of the Energy Department, responded that when the Renewable Energy Development Ordinance was enacted in 2009, "waste-to-energy" was already included in the scope of renewable energy, but he did not state whether to consider amending the law. Regarding the rates, Ng Chi-wai only expressed respect. Decision of the rate review committee.
Will the garbage be "not enough to burn"? Recycling Department promises to ban foreign waste plastics from being used as fuel rods
In recent years, many private companies have actively set up SRF manufacturing plants. Lin Zhenghan pointed out that according to public information from the Ministry of Environment, the accumulated temporary storage volume of combustible high-calorific value industrial waste such as waste plastics and waste rubber in Taiwan in 2020 was 440,000 tons, but the Ministry of Environment has planned that by 2025 The annual processing capacity can be increased to 1.186 million tons per year. The private capacity can be expanded too fast, which may lead to "not enough garbage to burn" in the future. Instead, foreign waste plastics need to be imported. We call on the Ministry of Environment to ban the import of waste plastics to make SRF.
Xie Helin said that the Ministry of Environment's current "Technical Guidelines and Quality Specifications for the Manufacturing of Solid Renewable Fuels" are not rigorous enough. For example, it does not prohibit the burning of PVC that can emit heavy metals and dioxin, and the mercury content standards are also looser than those in the EU. "Those with complex compositions should not be allowed to stuff" as fuel. Chen Jiaohua suggested suspending the promotion of SRF policy until the regulations are complete.
Lin Jiansan, deputy director of the Resource Recycling Administration of the Ministry of Environment, said frankly that many manufacturers are indeed involved in manufacturing SRF, and it is true that the source of materials may not be found after supply and demand are balanced. But he assured, "Whether it is now or in the future, we will prevent waste plastic from entering Taiwan to be made into SRF." He also revealed that the Recycling Department is reviewing the SRF guidelines and specifications, and will announce a revised draft by the end of the year.
Source:
Environmental Information Center
