Antonios Sakalis
Senior Circular Economy and Climate Change Expert, ENVIROPLAN S.A.
The ISWA Working Group on Energy Recovery met for the first time in 2025, in Athens, Greece. The Greek Government has been implementing, over the last few years, an ambitious plan to transform the waste management sector in the country. Key milestones include closing all dumpsites, establishing a very ambitious institutional framework, developing and constructing the required infrastructure to treat the residual MSW, integrating Waste to Energy for the valorization of the non-recyclable MSW residues and secondary fuels aiming to meet the goal of disposal under 10% by 2030, accelerating the process to meet high recycling targets and most importantly embracing circular economy principles in the cycle of the economy, and all these through a combination of several adequate financing schemes.
Regarding Waste to Energy, the Greek Government plans the development of six (6) WtE plants across the country, which will treat approximately 1.2 million t/y of MSW residues and secondary fuels, and will allow the achievement of the goal of reducing disposal of MSW to less than 10% by weight by 2030, which is an established national goal, implementing the specific goal from the EU Circular Economy Package Directive 5 years ahead of schedule.
The Working Group meeting was designed on a different structure than the usual WGER meetings. It was one the one hand Greek-centric, giving the floor to invited guests – key stakeholders from Greece to share their views and planning and on the other hand it resembled more to a Beacon Conference or a Masterclass, aiming to transfer knowledge and support the faster maturation of the next steps needed until the development of the facilities.
It was a very fruitful 3-day meeting attended by over 50 WGER members and guests.
Introductory speech by Mr. Manolis Grafakos, General Secretary for Waste Management Coordination, MEEN
On the first day (Monday 28/04), a pre-meeting was held in the premises of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN). It consisted of two roundtables with the participation of the political leadership of MEEN, local administration, key stakeholders, and members of the Working Group.
The aim of the first roundtable was to showcase the progress so far, the results from the feasibility study for the development of the WtE plants, and the future steps planned until the development of the facilities. The roundtable consisted of Mr. Manolis Grafakos (MEEN), Mr. Christos Tsompanidis (ENVIROPLAN S.A.) and Mr. George Iliopoulos (Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association – HSWMA).
From left to right: Mr. Christos Tsompanidis (ENVIROPLAN), Mr. Manolis Grafakos (MEEN), Mr. George Iliopoulos (HSWMA), and Mr. Elias Palialexis (Journalist)
From left to right: Ms. Ella Stengler (CEWEP), Mr. Siegfried Scholz (ESWET), Mr. Jorgen Haukohl (Ramboll), Mr. George Magklaras (Atkins Realis), Mr. Kostas Papadopoulos (Meridiam), and Mr. Elias Palialexis (Journalist)
The second roundtable focused on the international views and proposals to the Greek stakeholders. Ms. Ella Stengler (CEWEP) focused on the developments in Brussels and the role of WtE in mitigating climate change. Mr. Siegfried Scholz (ESWET) also discussed the regulatory interventions, discussed the prospects of new WtE markets and provided his thoughts on the critics against WtE. Mr. Jorgen Haukohl (Ramboll) shared his thoughts on the ambitious planning of Greece and also provided useful insights from Denmark. Mr. George Magklaras (Atkins Realis) commented from the side of the technical advisor about the strengths and weaknesses in the Greek planning, and also shared thoughts on the future tendering procedures. Last but not least, Mr. Kostas Papadopoulos (Meridiam), commented about the Greek planning from the investor’s side, the bankability of the projects and contributed on the strengths and weaknesses of tendering procedures.
Both roundtables were moderated by Mr. Elias Palialexis, journalist at the Athens – Macedonian News Agency.
A dinner followed at the Greek modern cuisine restaurant “Papakia”.
The second day (Tuesday 29/04) consisted of six technical sessions, with a duration of approximately 9 hours. Once again, the venue was the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Johnny Stuen, WGER Chair, welcomed the participants and moderated the initial session on the ISWA-WGER matters. At the end of the session, a surprise gift was waiting for him, since the Athens meeting was his last in his 8-year tenure as Chair of ISWA-WGER.
Ms. Bettina Kamuk (Ramboll) was unanimously elected as the new WGER Chair!
ISWA gift presented by Christophe Cord’homme to Johnny Stuen.
Moderation of the technical sessions. From left to right: Ms. Rae Chwee (ISWA), Mr. Antonios Sakalis (ENVIROPLAN), and Mr. Johnny Stuen (Rely Solutions).
The 2nd session of the Working Group meeting was related to the progress of Greece in its WtE planning. Following a brief welcome by the General Secretary for Waste Management Coordination, the Director of Waste Management at the Ministry, Ms. Arfanakou, presented the current state of waste management in Greece. Christos Tsompanidis (ENVIROPLAN) & George Iliopoulos (EPTA) presented the technical details of the strategic planning for the development of Waste to Energy plants in Greece.
The last part of the session included presentations from 6 Greek companies, key players for waste management and energy, which have expressed their interest in participating in the maturation and development process of the WtE plants.
Following the lunch break, WGER members and guests attended technical sessions on case studies, risks and opportunities (Session 3), procurement and financial matters (Session 4) and climate change, ETS and CCUS technologies (Session 5).
The meeting closed with planning for future meetings, as well as future activities that the Working Group intends to focus on moving forward.
The day concluded with a nice seafood dinner at the restaurant “Garbi” in the Athens riviera.
Dinner on the Athens Riviera.
A site visit was planned for the third day (Wednesday 30/04), in one of the newest waste treatment facilities of Greece, the Arcadia Integrated Waste Management Centre.
On the return trip to Athens, WGER members enjoyed lunch in the coastal town of Loutraki.
Many of the activities during the WGER meeting could not have been possible without the support from the sponsors. Many thanks for their kind support to the Public Power Corporation (PPC), the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN), ENVIROPLAN S.A. and EPTA S.A.
The ISWA Working Group on Energy Recovery was held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Waste Management Coordination in the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN) and the Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association (HSWMA).
