Overview of investment

Located in Poolbeg, Dublin Port, the Dublin Waste to Energy public- private partnership is considered one of Europe’s most ambitious environmental projects. It has the capacity to process 600,000 tonnes of residual waste annually, treating approximately 1/3rd of residual waste generated in Ireland. It has an electricity generation capacity of over 60MW, the bulk of which is exported to Ireland’s national grid – enough to power 100,000 homes.

Public benefits:

  • Turning waste into sustainable energy
  • Reducing fuel poverty
  • Job creation
Sector
Waste-to-energy (PPP)
Investment date
June 2019
Fund
DIF V
DIF ownership stake
31%

68.9 MW

Clean energy generation capacity. Enough to power 100,000 homes

79 kt

CO2e total GHG avoided

ESG impacts

Avoid landfill
Waste disposal has a poor historical image in Ireland, due to its significant carbon footprint. However, the Dublin Waste to Energy (WtE) facility offers environmental benefits by ensuring that non-recyclable household and commercial waste, generated within Dublin and surrounding areas, can be diverted away from landfill and is instead recycled or converted into energy.
The facility provides highly efficient incineration and converts waste into usable electricity. In 2020 the project diverted 574 kt of non-recyclable waste, most of which would have been sent to landfill, and diverting it to waste treatment options, such as recycling and energy recovery. In total the project recycled or recovered 145 kt of materials in 2020 including ferrous, non-ferrous and mineral aggregates.

Net Zero certificates
Dublin WtE monitors Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and in 2020, the project avoided 79 kt CO2e of GHG emissions. The project is currently working with the local authority in relation to the potential to utilise heat that is generated by the facility to support a local district heating network.
The facility also has a significant social impact, providing around 100 local jobs, and contributing over €10 million of funding into local community schemes since inception.

“Dublin WtE is an important solution in supporting Ireland’s challenge to mitigate climate change. It employs over 100 people, provides a highly valuable source of baseload, renewable energy, and it is generating that electricity by converting non-recyclable waste that would otherwise have been sent directly to landfill.”

Neil Marvell,
Senior Director, DIF Capital Partners