Municipal vote Winterthur approves record loan for waste incineration plant

The people of Winterthur said yes to a loan of CHF 293 million on Sunday. The money will be used to renovate one of the two incineration lines at the waste incineration plant (KVA). This will provide 30 percent more district heating.

28,595 residents voted in favor of the loan, while 4,256 voted against. This corresponds to a "yes" share of 87 percent. The turnout was 46 percent.

It was the highest amount ever voted on by the people of Winterthur. However, no taxpayers' money is involved. The conversion of the waste incineration plant will be financed entirely from revenues, i.e. from the sale of electricity and heat and from waste fees.

The second incineration line, which is now being replaced, dates back to 1993 and has reached the end of its service life. However, the capacity is not to be increased with the new furnace. In future, 190,000 tons of waste will continue to be incinerated each year.

However, the aim is to achieve ecological improvements and more district heating. Waste heat from flue gas cleaning will now also be used. With the same amount of waste, 30 percent more heat can be produced and distributed in the district heating network.

The plant that cleans the waste water from the flue gas scrubbing system is also being renovated. This will allow up to 7.5 tons of gypsum to be recovered per day, which previously ended up in landfill. Construction is due to start in two years and is expected to last until 2031. The city council and city parliament have also spoken out in favor of the conversion.

SDA