The manager of the Waste Consortium of Asturias (Cogersa), Paz Orviz, has underlined this Tuesday before the General Junta of the Principality the convenience of an "organizational strengthening" within the consortium, with the aim of being able to assume with guarantees the volume of projects, works, regulatory requirements, and the coordination of all personnel.
"To give an example, the waste consortium of Guipúzcoa has 25 workers, while that of Asturias will have 500," Orviz stated during her appearance in a parliamentary commission. The appearance had been requested by the PP and by the general secretary of Foro Asturias and deputy of the Mixed Group, Adrián Pumares.
When questioned about whether she has the support of the Ministry of Mobility, Environment and Emergency Management of the Asturian Government, Orviz explained that she has a senior management contract, that she was appointed by the board of directors, and that the communication with the Ministry is "cordial in its forms." She added that, if at any time it is considered that she should be replaced, she will return to her position as a civil servant of the Principality, where she assures that she will live "much more peacefully."
During the session, Orviz, who acknowledged that she is not currently actively participating in the drafting of the new waste plan, addressed the situation of the treatment plant for the residual fraction, affected by a fire in April 2024.
Once the repairs are completed, the facility will resume exploitation tasks "in the coming weeks," initially operated by the company that carried out its design and construction. From autumn, Cogersa personnel will assume direct management, reinforced by the staff of the company that wins the comprehensive maintenance contract, which is currently in the bidding phase.
Orviz emphasized that the plant represents "a before and an after" in the waste management system. "With this plant, Asturias fulfills a double legal requirement: not to deposit recyclable materials directly in landfills and to add those percentage points to recycling rates that allow us to approach the legal objectives set by the European Directive," she explained.
In relation to solid recovered fuel (SRF), Paz Orviz provided figures on the destination of the tons produced so far in Cogersa's facilities.
He explained that, when the plant was starting to come into operation, between 2023 and 2024, the company Tudela Veguín requested certain quantities of CSR, both for the Aboño factory and for La Robla (León), with the purpose of carrying out tests in its facilities.
In that period, 778 tons of CSR were sent from Cogersa to Aboño and 5,600 tons to La Robla. "Cogersa did not pay for it, it was within the scope of the tests and, well, at that time, it also suited us because, well, we gave it an outlet at zero cost," he explained.
As head of the entity, Paz Orviz has also expressed her support for waste-to-energy technology. "As an industrial engineer that I am, waste-to-energy technology does not cause me any kind of rash," she indicated, pointing out that there are numerous plants of this type operating with good results in different European countries.