Geminor in the UK is currently experiencing a sharp increase in demand for energy and materials recovery materials - both domestically and for export. Data from July shows that Geminor UK increased its handling of waste volumes for recycling and recovery from 26,400 tons in 2021 to 46,275 tons this year, which is a 75 percent increase and a company record for the summer month.
Of the total volumes handled in July, 10 393 tons of waste wood, RDF and MSW were delivered to UK facilities. Exports from the UK reached a total of 35,885 tons, which included both RDF, SRF and wood delivered from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and England. Geminor loaded 11 bulk carriers from 6 different ports during the month of July.
In comparison, Geminor handled 6,319 tons for UK facilities and 20,101 tons of material for export in July last year.
From fall to sudden growth
According to Footprint Services, Geminor has long maintained its position as the largest exporter of RDF and SRF from the UK. However, the first 6 months of 2022 have shown a moderate drop in exported RDF, primarily to Scandinavia.
However, an abrupt increase in demand in July represents a change in this trend and is primarily linked to the need for energy security for the winter," explains Senior Account & Development Manager at Geminor UK, Oliver Caunce.
- The Norwegian and other Nordic WtE plants are preparing for the possibility that some countries may go into recession and thus have less waste available. Any form of energy production that does not have ties to Russia is therefore favorable at the moment. Markets that are usually on pause during the summer, such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, are now in full swing storing waste-based fuel for the coming winter.
- There has also been considerable turmoil in the German waste market due to geopolitical and macroeconomic factors. This has motivated some recipients to import over the summer due to future supply uncertainty," says Caunce.
Oliver Caunce expects demand to continue throughout the fall.
- "We are watching the market particularly closely as we enter a more unpredictable period. Further developing our supply chains and supplier base will be important in ensuring we have enough material for energy and material recycling across Europe in the coming season," concludes Senior Account and Development Manager at Geminor UK, Oliver Caunce.
