Environmental infrastructure development company, Veolia, has inaugurated three new thermoelectric power plants at its waste recovery centres in the states of São Paulo and Santa Catarina in Brazil.

In total, they will produce 12.4MW of renewable electricity using the biogas produced from decomposing organic waste, which is enough to fulfil the electricity and heating needs of 42,000 inhabitants in Brazil.

The plants will be located in Iperó, Metropolitan region of Sorocaba, in São Paulo and in Biguaçu, province of Santa Catarina, in three of its sanitary landfills operated in the country.

Pedro Prádanos, CEO of Veolia Brazil, said: “In Brazil, the acceleration of water stress should stimulate the search for alternative models. We are convinced that the interest of cities and industries in stable sources of renewable energy such as biogas will grow and we will be there to support this trend.

“Veolia is also studying other solutions for upgrading biogas in the country, in particular through the production of biomethane that can be used in the natural gas network or as automotive fuel.”

Converting this previously unused biogas into energy will contribute to the better recovery of waste and the development of circular economy.

Veolia is also focusing on the valorisation of this energy resource to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil fuels.

By the end of 2021, harnessing the biogas at Veolia’s waste recovery centres in Brazil will prevent 45,000 tons of methane from being released into the atmosphere, i.e. 1.26 million tons of CO2 equivalent.