Serbian based environment management company Herran Innovations( www.herran.rs), in cooperation with Clarion Partners Owners Engineer( www.oecp.eu), has started full project cycle development of its Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) and refuse derived fuel (RDF) plants, located within the three local municipal landfills. Jelena Sormaz, MD Herran Innovations states that the company develops the only alternative fuels plants in Serbia offering expansion model based on unique model for energy intensive industrial clients.
Herran announced that the facilities will convert commercial waste into high-quality Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) for use as alernative to coal in cement factory kilns and energy intensive industrial plants. Herran aims to develop fully the waste management and waste fuels plants in PPP models with local municipalities but relying on tier one technology providers. Projects development includes the landfill sites infrastructure works along with fuels facility production plants on different locations, each with specific capacity. Herrans strategy is to develop and operate the only local alternative fuels RDF and SRF plants in Serbia, with unique model potential which may be expanded to West Balkan region and its markets which lack such approach and fuels.
The plant’s production capacity is targeted at 85,000 tonnes annually, at a rate of about 250 tonnes per day, the report said, adding that the plants will initially supply 73,000 tonnes of RDF to domestic markets covering energy intensive heavy industry facilities. Herran in partnership with Clarion Partners will provide Owners Engineering services for clients plants modification and adjustments for RDF usage as cost benefit solution in energy intensive industries.
Herrans technical director Branimir Stojanovic explains that although the cement industry may be ahead of others when it comes to embracing alternative fuels, the goalposts are starting to shift as waste becomes a more expensive commodity. In a fluctuating European waste market we see the Serbian potential, but also the urgency and need for efficient export. The Serbian and EU market are in need of secondary fuels with both high and low calorific value, as well as more low-carbon bio-RDF. We are now building streams to help convert Serbian MSW into energy resources, and in time also new products through recycling“, says Stojanovic, adding that Serbia has a recycling rate below the line with the EU standards.
In order to increase the recovery rate and find more sustainable offtake, Stojanovic calls for better international utilization of Serbian waste: „In the process of making export efficient and reliable, and by this fully integrating Serbia into the European waste market, we will need improved cooperation between producers, transporters, offtakers, waste managers and authorities. Serbia can contribute to the EU waste balance and the circular economy, but needs to build both reputation and infrastructure to get there.“
Herran strategy is to start three alternative fuel plants development in partnership with technology partner which will be long term platform for new projects in Serbia and region of west Balkans.
