Options with the Hämeenkyrö municipal solid waste incinerator

Scope
Options with the Hämeenkyrö municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) describes the possible decisions and options related to the possible MSWI in the municipality of Hämeenkyrö, Finland.

Description

The texts have been copied from the respective Finnish site, and they will be translated into English.

Background

Finnish energy company Vapo is planning a municipality solid waste incinerator (MSWI) in Hämeenkyrö. The purpose is to produce electricity, heat and steam for the community and the nearby cardboard mill. The waste would come from Pirkanmaa area. The planned thermal power would be 80 MW, and it would use 200 000 tons of solid waste and sludge per year. [1]

The plant would locate near the municipality centre, and also near a source of groundwater. The ash produced would be transported to a hazardous waste landfill in an other municipality (either Forssa or Riihimäki) There is an active citizen group against the plan. [2]

Currently there is a gas combi plant near the cardboard mill, and it provides a major part of the energy to the mill. [3] [4] Thus, in addition to the incinerator, there are issues related to the existing gas plants, and land owning. [5] [6]

Impact assessment of factors related to the MSWI plan

Impact pathway diagram about the planned MSWI plant. Some major alternatives of waste handlins and energy production are presented. In addition, the consequent health, well-being, employment, and climate impacts are presented.

Location

The planned location of the plant is the field near the community centre in the middle of the map. [7]

Public vote

There was a public vote about whether or not to make a city plan change to allow the siting of the plant. The vote was held on 19 November, 2006. [8] [9] The result of the vote was the following.

Voting options	number of votes
Yes	2029
No	2159
I don't support either of the previous choices	190

Before the vote, there was a public hearing about the case. There was a presentation about the health impacts of the plan by academy researcher Jouni Tuomisto. [10]

Stakeholders

• Hämeenkyrö municipality council [11]
• Energy company Vapo (Suomen valtio & Metsäliitto Osuuskunta) [12] [13] [14]
• Cardboard mill owner M-Real (Metsäliitto Osuuskunta) [15] [16]
• Finnforest (Metsäliitto Osuuskunta) [17] [18]
• Kyro Power Oy (owns the gas plant) (Kyro Oyj Abp) [19] [20]
• Citizen activity group Hämeenkyrön puolesta - hyvässä hengessä kansalaisliike [21]

Definition

Causality

• Variable:Municipal solid waste production in Häme
• Variable:MSWI plants and plans in southern Finland

Data

Possible options for each decision-maker are the following.

Citizen: Different options in the public vote on 19 Nov 2006: Should the municipality allow for such a change in the city plan that it would be possible to site a MSWI?

• Yes
• No
• Neither of the previous options

Municipality council will decide about the change in the city plan so that it would be possible to site a MSWI. Possible options:

• Yes
• No

The company planning to build the MSWI, if the city plan change is favourable, has options after evaluating the economic and other impacts of the planned MSWI:

• Build the MSWI plant
• Do not build the MSWI plant

Formula

<anacode>

['The municipality council NO',

'The municipality council YES, the company NO',

'The municipality council YES, the company YES']

</anacode>

Unit

-

Result

Combined options

• The municipality council NO
• The municipality council YES, the company NO
• The municipality council YES, the company YES