Chongqing - As rapidly urbanizing countries across Southeast Asia seek solutions for rising waste volumes, Chinese waste-to-energy companies are expanding overseas, bringing technologies developed through decades of experience handling complex municipal waste.

Among them, Chongqing-based Sanfeng Environment has emerged as a leading Chinese supplier for overseas waste incineration construction and equipment projects.

The boiler of the Nakhon Pathom Waste-to-Energy Project in Thailand completed its first ignition on August 20, 2026. (Photo/Sanfeng Environment)

According to Environmental Circle, a media brand created by China Environment Expo, Chinese companies had 77 publicly disclosed overseas waste incineration construction and equipment businesses as of July 2026, covering 23 countries. The projects were mainly concentrated in Thailand, India, and Vietnam, with Southeast Asia accounting for nearly half of all projects.

Sanfeng Environment ranked first among Chinese companies by the number of overseas waste incineration construction and equipment businesses, with its projects particularly concentrated in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

In India, the largest overseas market for Chinese waste incineration equipment exports, Sanfeng accounted for 69.2% of publicly available Chinese equipment supply projects. In Thailand, India and Vietnam, the company's share among Chinese-participated projects exceeded 50%, according to Environmental Circle.

Why Southeast Asia is looking for waste solutions

Vietnam and Thailand have become important markets for Sanfeng Environment's overseas expansion.

In Vietnam, the Vietstar Integrated Solid Waste Treatment Plant, adopting Sanfeng's technology, is designed with two 600-ton-per-day mechanical grate incinerators and an annual waste treatment capacity of about 400,000 tonnes.

Design rendering of the Vietstar Integrated Solid Waste Treatment Plant (Phase I) in Vietnam. (Photo/Sanfeng Environment)

The project uses a combined flue gas treatment system, including selective non-catalytic reduction, semi-dry treatment, dry treatment, activated carbon adsorption and bag filtration technology.

The first boiler steel frame of the Vietstar Integrated Solid Waste Treatment Plant (Phase I) in Vietnam is precisely lifted into position. (Photo/Sanfeng Environment)

In Thailand, the Nakhon Pathom Waste-to-Energy Project uses a 550-ton-per-day mechanical grate incinerator and a 9.9-megawatt power generation unit.

The demand comes as many developing economies face growing pressure from urban expansion and rising household waste.

Indonesia, for example, generates tens of millions of tonnes of waste every year, while traditional landfill disposal remains the main treatment method. Large landfill sites have created environmental challenges, prompting the government to promote waste-to-energy projects.

Vietnam, Thailand and other Southeast Asian economies are also accelerating investment in waste treatment infrastructure as cities expand and environmental standards rise.

A key challenge for these markets is the composition of municipal waste. Like China, many Southeast Asian countries have a high proportion of wet waste, which contains more moisture and has a lower heating value, making stable incineration more difficult.

China's waste-to-energy industry experienced similar challenges during its development. Through years of technological improvements, Chinese companies have developed equipment and operating experience suited for complex waste conditions.

Operators at Sanfeng Environment's Chongqing Tongxing facility closely monitor unit operating parameters. (Photo/Sanfeng Environment)

Sanfeng Environment said its technologies and equipment are designed to support the full waste-to-energy process, including waste incineration equipment manufacturing, engineering construction, operation management and related environmental services.

From equipment exports to technology services

Unlike some international expansion models that rely heavily on build-operate-transfer (BOT) investment, Sanfeng Environment has focused on a lighter overseas approach centered on equipment exports, engineering services and operational support.

The company's annual report said it is pursuing a "dual-drive" strategy that combines domestic and international markets, expanding overseas through equipment exports, engineering construction, and operation management services.

This model allows companies to provide specialized technologies while reducing the need for large overseas capital investment.

Sanfeng Environment's overseas experience dates back more than a decade. In 2010, the company supplied waste incineration equipment to a project in Tulsa, the United States, marking an early overseas application of domestically developed large-scale waste incineration equipment.

Over time, the company expanded into markets including Vietnam, Thailand, India and Malaysia.

The core equipment of Malaysia's Selangor TG12 project, a 1,000-ton-per-day waste incinerator, passes factory acceptance testing at the incinerator assembly base on August 17, 2026. (Photo/Sanfeng Environment)

By the end of 2025, Sanfeng Environment said its waste incineration technologies and related equipment had been applied in about 268 projects with 433 incineration lines worldwide, with designed treatment capacity exceeding 240,000 tonnes per day. The company also operated 56 waste-to-energy projects domestically and overseas through models including BOT, BOO and DBO.

China's environmental equipment goes global

The rise of Chinese waste-to-energy companies overseas reflects a broader shift in China's environmental industry.

For years, Chinese companies developed large-scale waste treatment systems while addressing domestic urban waste challenges. That experience has created a supply chain covering equipment manufacturing, engineering services and project operation.

Sanfeng Environment, headquartered in Chongqing, has benefited from the city's manufacturing base and industrial ecosystem. The company is one of China's early participants in the waste-to-energy sector and has developed capabilities covering research and development, equipment manufacturing and operation services.

The company's annual report noted that emerging markets in Central Asia and the Middle East are seeing rising demand for waste treatment as environmental awareness grows and governments introduce policies supporting waste-to-energy investment.

For developing economies, waste-to-energy projects offer a way to reduce landfill pressure while generating electricity. For Chinese environmental companies, they represent a new avenue to export not only equipment but also engineering experience and technology solutions.

As global cities continue searching for ways to manage growing waste volumes, Chongqing's Sanfeng Environment is becoming part of a wider movement of Chinese manufacturers expanding into green infrastructure markets overseas.