Zabalgarbi

What Zabalgarbi does

Zabalgarbi, S.A. is a privately held waste-to-energy operator headquartered in Bilbao, Spain, operating a single facility at the Ecoparque de Artigas under the proprietary "Sistema Zabalgarbi o Sener" thermal treatment technology. The plant converts non-recyclable urban waste into electricity and heat, producing 650 million net kWh annually (equivalent to consumption of 370,000 people) and supplying approximately 30% of Bizkaia province's domestic electricity. Operational availability exceeds 8,000 hours per year, placing it among the highest-uptime waste-to-energy plants in Europe.

The company's core business is processing non-recyclable municipal and industrial waste for Basque Country municipalities under tipping-fee arrangements, supplemented by electricity sales to the regional grid and an on-site 24/7 compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station serving registered commercial fleet operators. Revenue derives from three streams: recurring waste-processing fees from municipalities and industrial clients, electricity generation revenue, and transaction-based CNG fuel sales. The company holds four ISO certifications (9001, 14001, 45001, 50001) and the EU R1 Energy Efficiency Certificate, and operates continuous stack-emission monitoring with real-time reporting to the Basque Government Environmental Authority alongside three regional air-quality monitoring stations.

Zabalgarbi's strategic position is increasingly integrated into the Basque industrial circular economy. In May 2025 the company began supplying thermal ash to Biscay Eco Aggregates — a €20 million joint venture between Petronor (Repsol subsidiary, 75%) and OCO Technology (25%) operating the EU's first synthetic eco-aggregate plant. The facility operates within a regulated public-utility framework, with revenue mechanics anchored to long-duration municipal contracts and Basque regional energy pricing rather than competitive merchant markets.

Name

Zabalgarbi

Legal name

Zabalgarbi, S.A.

Website

https://zabalgarbi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Zabalgarbi operates a single waste-to-energy plant in Bilbao, Spain, converting non-recyclable municipal waste into electricity and supplying 30% of Bizkaia's domestic power for Basque Country municipalities and industrial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste-to-Energy Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators (562213), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (22133)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Incineration & Power/Heat Generation (EUAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Combustion Facilities (BPALACAD), Waste-to-Energy CHP (Municipal/Industrial Waste Incineration) (EUACAKAC)

Keywords

• Waste-to-energy services
• Municipal waste processing
• Energy recovery plants
• Renewable electricity generation
• Industrial waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Waste-to-energy processing fees: The company charges municipalities and industrial clients for processing non-recyclable urban waste into energy. Revenue is generated through tipping fees for waste accepted and energy produced from the combustion process.
2. CNG filling station fuel sales: The on-site CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) filling station sells compressed natural gas to registered commercial fleet operators. The station operates 24/7 with weekly billing price updates and refueling requiring pre-registration and customer cards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Zabalgarbi operates a single waste-to-energy plant in Bilbao that accepts non-recyclable urban and industrial waste from Basque Country municipalities and industrial clients, thermally processing it through its proprietary Sistema Zabalgarbi o Sener combustion technology to generate electricity and heat. The facility also operates an on-site Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling station that refuels authorized commercial fleet vehicles.

Product overview

Zabalgarbi operates a single waste-to-energy plant that recovers energy from non-recyclable urban waste to generate electricity. The facility serves as the core product offering, supplemented by an on-site CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) filling station that provides refueling services to authorized vehicles. The plant operates continuously with high availability and is regulated under strict environmental standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waste-to-Energy Plant Urban waste-to-energy facility at the Ecoparque de Artigas in Bilbao that recovers energy from non-recyclable waste to produce electricity and heat, serving Basque Country municipalities and industrial clients. It produces approximately 30% of Bizkaia's domestic electricity with annual capacity of 650 million net kWh and operational availability above 8,000 hours per year.
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Filling Station On-site CNG refueling station at the Zabalgarbi plant operating 24/7 with a 4-5 minute refueling time, available only to authorized commercial fleet vehicles through a pre-registration and customer card system, with weekly billing price updates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produces 650 million net kWh per year, equivalent to annual consumption of 370,000 people
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Petronor (Repsol subsidiary)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025Petronor, the Basque subsidiary of Repsol, receives thermal ash from Zabalgarbi's waste-to-energy process for use in its industrial ecosystem. The ash is supplied to Biscay Eco Aggregates, a joint venture between Petronor (75%) and OCO Technology (25%), for manufacturing synthetic eco-aggregates - the first such plant in the European Union with a 20 million euro investment.
• OCO TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025British specialist in carbon capture technology operating three synthetic aggregate plants in the UK that reuse 250,000 tonnes of waste annually. Partnered with Petronor (75%/25% split) to establish Biscay Eco Aggregates, receiving thermal ash from Zabalgarbi as raw material for eco-aggregate production.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• EEW Energy from Waste (EEW): EEW is Germany's largest waste-to-energy company, operating multiple thermal waste treatment facilities that convert residual municipal waste into electricity and district heat. Operates at higher scale than Zabalgarbi but the technology stack, regulatory regime (EU R1) and feedstock are highly comparable.
• Tersa (Tractament i Revaloració de Residus, S.A.): Tersa runs the waste-to-energy plant in Sant Adrià de Besòs serving the Barcelona metropolitan area. It shares Zabalgarbi's municipal waste-to-electricity model, public-utility structure, and reliance on Catalan environmental authorisations, making it one of the closest like-for-like comparables in Spain.
• Tirme (TIRME, S.A.): Tirme is a Spanish waste-to-energy operator in Mallorca processing municipal solid waste into electricity for the regional grid. It is directly comparable to Zabalgarbi on feedstock (non-recyclable MSW), output (electricity and heat) and regulatory framework (EU R1 / Spanish WFD).
• AVR (Afvalverwerking Rijnmond / AVR-Afvalverwerking): AVR operates several waste-to-energy plants in the Rotterdam region producing electricity and district heat from residual municipal and commercial waste. Comparable to Zabalgarbi on combustion-based energy recovery, emissions monitoring standards, and EU R1 certification.

Broad incumbents

• Urbaser (Grupo ACS / VDR): Urbaser is a major Spanish environmental services group providing waste collection, treatment and energy recovery, including WtE plants in Spain and Latin America. Comparable to Zabalgarbi on municipal waste-to-energy operations, though broader in geographic and service scope.
• Suez (Suez Recycling and Recovery España): Suez operates municipal waste collection, recycling and waste-to-energy services across Spain and Europe, including facilities that compete for the same regional concessions Zabalgarbi relies on. Overlap is partial — broader portfolio, different geographic focus — but the energy-recovery activity is functionally comparable.
• FCC Medio Ambiente (FCC Servicios Medioambientales): FCC Medio Ambiente is the Spanish arm of the FCC Group, a major municipal solid waste and waste-to-energy operator with concessions across Spain and Latin America. It overlaps with Zabalgarbi's municipal waste processing and energy recovery activities, though typically at much larger scale and with bundled collection services.
• Veolia España (Veolia Servicios Medioambientales): Veolia is one of the largest global environmental services groups and operates multiple waste-to-energy facilities in Spain and globally. It competes with Zabalgarbi in the municipal waste-to-energy services market via public concessions and offers broader waste-management capabilities.

Others

• SENER Grupo de Ingeniería: SENER is a Basque engineering group credited as co-developer of the proprietary "Sistema Zabalgarbi o Sener" technology. It is not a competitor but an enabling technology partner whose WtE process design and equipment supply capability is closely tied to Zabalgarbi's operating model.

Emerging players

• SAICA (Servicios y Aplicaciones Industriales de la Celulosa, SA): SAICA is a Spanish waste management and recycling group that has expanded into energy recovery and has invested in waste-to-energy capacity in the Iberian market. It is comparable on the recycling-plus-energy-recovery thesis, though smaller and earlier in its WtE deployment versus Zabalgarbi.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zabalgarbi