Critical Risk Identification for PPP Waste-to-Energy Incineration Projects in China: A Multiple Case Study

With the growing number of municipal solid waste (MSW), public–private partnership (PPP) procurement model has been widely applied to the construction and operation of the waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration projects to get rid of “junk besieged city” troubles in China. However, numerous risks and uncertainties affect the performance or even lead to the failure of the PPP WTE incineration projects. This research aims to identify the critical risk factors (CRFs) of PPP WTE incineration projects. Based on the multiple case studies, four CRFs are identified from real-life risk events of 10 representative cases of PPP WTE incineration projects. Then, the characteristics and causes of the CRFs are further analyzed according to the condition of the WTE incineration projects in China. Finally, risk response strategies are presented from the perspectives of government, project company, and both sides of them. Generally speaking, government should improve the decision-making ability; project company should constantly improve the technology and equipment; both of them should cultivate talents and keep close to the masses.