Veolia has been awarded the contract for the operation and maintenance of Turkey’s first waste-to-energy plant, the largest in Europe, in Istanbul.

With a processing capacity of approximately 1.1 million tonnes of non-recyclable household waste per year, the plant will allow to save nearly 1.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year notably through the production of 560,000 MWh of electricity annually – the equivalent of consumption of 1.4 million inhabitants of the metropolis.

This is the first installation of its kind in Turkey which aims to decarbonize its waste sector through energy recovery and recycling to avoid the use of landfill, which emits more carbon. The project contributes directly to the country’s objective to achieve carbon neutrality by 2053.

Under the terms of the agreement, Veolia will be responsible for the entire operations and maintenance of the plant, ensuring stringent compliance with the European Union’s environmental standards, improving energy efficiency and reducing utility consumption.

Commenting on the agreement, Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia: “We are proud to participate in Turkey’s ecological transformation through the operation of the country’s first waste-to-energy plant. This is an important step forward in the management of waste and energy in the city of Istanbul, in line with the country’s objective of carbon neutrality. We are delighted to carry out this historic project alongside our Turkish partners to make it a benchmark site for waste management regionally.”

Commenting on the agreement, Özgür Barışkan Deputy General Manager of İSTAÇ (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Waste Management Company) said: “The launch of Turkey’s first commercial scale and Europe’s largest waste-to-energy plant represents a historic milestone in our country’s sustainable development. For this project, İSTAÇ wanted to join forces with the world-renowned and experienced leader in environmental solutions. Veolia is the perfect partner with its impeccable global track record of facilitating sustainable energy production and low carbon development pathways. We are delighted to create valuable energy, reduce waste and landfill use and introduce a new sustainable industry to our region in partnership with Veolia.”