Comella Waste Plant Hits Record 52,621 Tonnes in 2025
Andorra's key incinerator exceeds 52,000 tonnes for first time, boosting waste-to-energy output amid stable imports and municipal waste.
Key Points
- Processed 52,621 tonnes total, surpassing 2019 record of 50,901 tonnes.
- 9,284 tonnes imported waste from Cerdanya, under 10,000-tonne cap.
- 36,284 tonnes municipal solid waste; 75 tonnes sanitary waste.
- Generated 16,711 MWh electricity and 17,550 MWh thermal energy for district heating.
The Comella waste treatment plant processed a record 52,621 tonnes of waste in 2025, surpassing its previous high of 50,901 tonnes from 2019 and the 50,878 tonnes handled in 2024, according to operating data from Ctrasa.
This marks the first time the facility has exceeded 52,000 tonnes annually, solidifying its central role in Andorra's waste management system. The incinerator has now topped 50,000 tonnes four times in its history, reflecting growing reliance on waste-to-energy recovery amid national environmental policies.
The increase partly stems from 9,284 tonnes of imported waste, up slightly from the prior year but below the 10,000-tonne annual cap set by the agreement between the Andorran government and the Generalitat de Catalunya. These imports, mainly from the Cerdanya region, help ensure the plant operates efficiently and profitably, avoiding underutilisation seen in its early years.
Municipal solid waste, the largest category incinerated, totalled 36,284 tonnes—stable compared to recent years after a decade of gradual rises in domestic generation. Sanitary waste reached 75 tonnes, higher than post-pandemic levels but far below the 2021 peak driven by single-use medical supplies and protective equipment.
The plant generated 16,711 MWh of electricity sold to FEDA, edging up from 2024, alongside 17,550 MWh of thermal energy—a notable rise—to supply a district heating network linked to local facilities, with demand peaking in winter.
Operationally, the incinerator ran for 8,038 effective hours, including 590 hours of scheduled maintenance shutdowns and 131 hours of unplanned stops, standard for such infrastructure to maintain long-term safety and efficiency.
These figures underscore the Comella plant's consolidation as a cornerstone of Andorra's waste treatment and energy recovery model.
| Year | Tonnes processed | |------|------------------| | 2007 | 42,349 | | 2008 | 44,934 | | 2009 | 40,518 | | 2010 | 39,000 | | 2011 | 36,500 | | 2012 | 33,200 | | 2013 | 34,023 | | 2014 | 37,867 | | 2015 | 37,413 | | 2016 | 38,483 | | 2017 | 41,236 | | 2018 | 49,777 | | 2019 | 50,901 | | 2020 | 49,149 | | 2021 | 46,715 | | 2022 | 50,580 | | 2023 | 48,713 | | 2024 | 50,878 | | 2025 | 52,621 |
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: