Písek in Czechia to hold referendum on waste incinerator construction alongside October elections

A referendum on the planned construction of a waste-to-energy facility (ZEVO) will be held in Písek. It will take place in October alongside the autumn elections to the Chamber of Deputies, which are scheduled for 3 and 4 October. In the referendum, whose organisation city councillors approved at a meeting today, residents will say whether they want the ZEVO or not. Písek Mayor Michal Čapek (ANO) told journalists that the council had no other option but to approve the referendum. Had it not done so, the proposal would have gone to court, which would have ordered a referendum by law.

The referendum’s initiators collected enough signatures for it to be called. The proposal needs the support of ten percent of Písek’s residents, or 2240 people.

"A referendum is a celebration of democracy. But to some extent, it can also be a dangerous tool, whether the issue is leaving the EU and NATO, for example. People do not always have relevant information (on the issue). And of course, information that stirs emotions spreads much faster and reaches more people, even if it may not be true," Čapek said.

The Písek ZEVO is expected to burn 50.000 tonnes of mixed municipal waste, bulky waste and other waste suitable for energy recovery each year. In addition to Písek and Strakonice, waste would be brought to the incinerator from Milevsko, Blatná, Vodňany and Horažďovice. Most of the heat produced would be fed into the district heating system, used to heat water and converted into electricity.

ZEVO Písek has already received a positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the construction, issued by the Ministry of the Environment at the beginning of November. The project is co-financed by European funds and could receive a grant of 1,3 billion korun through the Modernisation Fund, with ZEVO Písek having to borrow the rest. In February, ZEVO Písek launched a tender for the construction of the facility, which is still ongoing.

If residents reject the construction in the referendum, the city would look for a new alternative for waste management and municipal heat production. "We would have to approach other waste-to-energy facilities. Vrát near České Budějovice has been mentioned, as has Příbram. In addition, if we do not have our own ZEVO, the city will have to build a gas-fired boiler house to supply heat at considerable cost, which would significantly limit other planned investments," Čapek said.