JOINT PRESS RELEASE
• APICE: ACEA AND PIRELLI AMBIENTE IN WASTE TO RENEWABLE ENERGY JOINT VENTURE
• APICE, ARMED WITH PIRELLI AMBIENTE PATENTS, TO BUILD AND MANAGE PLANTS TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY REFUSE DERIVED FUEL (RDF-Q)
• RDF-Q USED AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR COAL IN THERMOELECTRIC PLANTS AND CEMENT FACTORIES, PROVIDING BOTH ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS FOR COMMUNITY
• PIRELLI AMBIENTE PATENTS FOR RDF-Q PRODUCTION USED SUCCESSFULLY AT CEMENT FACTORY IN ROBILANTE (BUZZI) SINCE 2003, SERVING 54 MUNICIPALITIES
Rome, Milan, 16 January 2008 - Acea and Pirelli Ambiente announce that APICE, their 50:50 joint venture, will operate in the waste to renewable energy sector, combining Acea’s expertise and strong local presence with Pirelli Ambiente’s experience and technology to implement projects for the production of RDF-Q (high quality refuse derived fuel) to be used in thermoelectric plants and cement factories.
APICE’s business model involves the construction and management of plants to produce RDFQ.
The RDF-Q patented by Pirelli Ambiente is a quality fuel derived from solid urban waste, with the addition of high heat value components. It is capable of partially replacing fossil fuels in existing plants (thermoelectric plants and cement factories), providing significant economic and environmental advantages. The use of RDF-Q results in a reduction in disposal costs and, by utilising non-specialised plants, can make a substantial contribution to quickly resolving the problem of waste disposal. As a biomass-based fuel, RDF-Q is a renewable energy source whose use helps to achieve EU targets for renewable electricity production and CO2 reduction.
RDF-Q has been used successfully at the cement factory in Robilante (Buzzi) since 2003, serving 54 municipalities in the Province of Cuneo.
A recent study by Nomisma Energia (January 2008) highlighted the potential economic and environmental benefits of using RDF-Q in Italy’s thermoelectric plants and cement factories. Based on general adoption of this form of fuel, the benefits are:
• Approximately 6.5 million tonnes less solid urban waste to be dumped each year;
• Annual 7-million tonne reduction in CO2 emissions;
• Annual 2.7 TWh increase in renewable electricity, equal to the consumption of one million households;
• Energy savings of 1.85 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) a year, compared with a national target for 2009 of 2.9 Mtoe.