OLO is preparing for the greening and modernisation of ZEVO; it will maintain control over waste and ensure sufficient capacity for its recovery
24. 04. 2025
Bratislava, 24 April 2025 – The facility for the use of Bratislava waste as energy, operated by the Bratislava municipal enterprise OLO, a. s., is approaching the end of its service life. Therefore, OLO, a. s., is proceeding with its modernisation and greening. The project for the modernisation and greening of ZEVO will ensure control over municipal waste management and sufficient capacity for its recovery in the future. At the meeting, city councillors received information on the preparation of this project. Additional steps by OLO will follow which will lead to public procurement, signing a contract with the winning contractor, securing a credit framework, modernising the current facility associated with the construction of a third boiler, and its actual launch into operation, which is expected in 2029.
The ZEVO modernisation and greening project represents the city’s largest and most significant investment in recent decades. The anticipated value is at the level of 190–250 million euros, and OLO will fully finance it from credit sources. The service life of the modernised facility is expected to be 25 years, with the first 15 years of ZEVO operation used to repay debt service from the sale of energy and heat. Preparation of the ZEVO modernisation project began in 2021 and passed through a complex process of detailed assessment of ten solution options. The facility will recycle municipal waste into electricity and a higher volume of heat for more Bratislava residents.
Slovak and European legislation is heading towards a tightening of emission standards in relation to waste management and assumes a significant reduction or even the end of landfilling. If OLO does not proceed with the modernisation of the existing ZEVO and the construction of a third boiler, the city risks no longer being able to effectively and ecologically dispose of the non-recyclable waste it produces itself. Carrying out this project will ensure the city’s control over its own waste. The increased generation of revenue from waste collection, including significant revenue from the sale of electricity and heat, will also have a fundamental impact on stabilising the level of waste fees for households.
_“The modernisation of ZEVO fulfils the Waste Management Strategy, which has the aim of transitioning to a circular economy, as well as the Action Plan for Sustainable Energy and Climate of the capital. Thanks to this modernisation and greening project, Bratislava will be able to recycle its unsorted waste in its own facility and will not have to rely on the capacities of other incinerators,” _said Deputy Mayor for the Environment, Jakub Mrva, about the project.
At their meeting, city council members also approved a parliamentary proposal expressing their disagreement with the intention of Slovnaft to build a large-capacity Waste-to-Energy Centre (CEZO). The reasons are concerns about disproportionate air and groundwater pollution, as well as in regard to the import into Bratislava of hazardous waste from the EU and the territory of Slovakia as a whole.