Symbiotic Fossil Fuel/RDF Gas Turbine Power Plants For Lebanon – A Reexamination

Lebanon continues to grapple with two critical infrastructure challenges: chronic electricity shortages and ineffective municipal solid waste (MSW) management, especially in the capital, Beirut. Recent responses—such as the growth in decentralized solar PV systems—remain insufficient to meet projected national demand. Meanwhile, only 23% of MSW is treated, with the remainder largely dumped in environmentally harmful ways. This paper proposes a symbiotic solution that leverages a gas turbine power plant capable of co-firing conventional fossil fuels and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) to simultaneously address energy generation and waste reduction. Recent advances in supplementary-fired gas turbine systems, RDF production, and hybrid combustion strategies are reviewed. The major challenge lies in RDF's low and inconsistent calorific value, as well as the technical and economic viability of combustion systems under Lebanon’s constrained conditions. Modeling results demonstrate that a 100 MW plant could operate using up to 1040 tons/day of RDF—about 65% of Beirut’s RDF output—requiring only 1.98 tons/day of premium fuel. Alternatively, under RDF shortages, the plant could sustain full power with 467 tons/day of premium fuel and 86 tons/day of RDF. Several trade-off scenarios are also discussed, offering flexible operational modes depending on resource availability.