Now that it has its own waste incineration plant (WIP), the canton of Ticino has control over its own waste disposal: formerly, all waste was transported for recycling or disposal to the cantons of Thurgau and Zürich, on the other side of the Gotthard.
On 3 September the WIP was officially inaugurated in the presence of more than 350 guests, including Ticino State Councillors Marco Borradori and Laura Sadis.
The plant is setting new standards – according to the plant manager, "this WIP is the most modern in Switzerland and certainly one of the most advanced in the world". In ecological terms, too, the Giubiasco WIP stands up to scrutiny: all emissions are well below the national limit.
The heat generated during the waste incineration process is used to produce electricity. The 15-MW WIP generates around 100 Gigawatt hours of electricity per year.
Alpiq was involved in the plant's construction via its subsidiaries Kraftanlagen München (KAM) and Alpiq InTec Ticino.