In the community of Zwentendorf, right next door to the Dürnrohr coal power plant, an energy concept has been implemented which is unique in the world: the steam generated from incinerating garbage is fed through an underground pipeline to the Dürnrohr power station where it is used to generate electricity, supply Zwentendorf and the Lower Austrian capital of St. Pölten with district heating and provide industrial process steam to the Agrana bioethanol plant.

This design ensures that maximum use is made of the energy contained in the waste. Garbage has about the same calorific value as lignite, so that it can be used as a valuable alternative source of energy. The waste processed by the Zwentendorf/Dürnrohr system yields about 10 MJ/kg in calorific value. The plant thus offers not just an ecologically unique method to dispose of waste but also contributes substantially to the substitution of fossil energy sources and, furthermore, reduces emissions and improves the air quality in the entire region of the Tullnerfeld.

The combination of waste incineration and power generation produces savings equivalent to some 100,000 metric tons of coal and 10 million cubic metres of natural gas a year. This has a major beneficial effect on the environment, reducing emission rates generally and cutting CO2 emission specifically, which contributes to mitigating the greenhouse effect.