Pécs is a beautiful city in the Southwest of Hungary with almost 160.000 inhabitants and a large district heating grid. In the past the heat was delivered using coal and natural gas. Today Pécs sees itself as the first green city in Hungary. Starting 2013 the heat generation has been based completely on biomass. Recently, a delegation of the World Bioenergy Association visited Pécs.
Biomass from the region
The biomass is sourced from a circle of 100km around the city. The feedstock: wood of low quality, by-products of the wood industry, straw, corn stalk, sunflower shells. The existing coal fired power station was adapted to this new feedstock. In two boilers with a capacity of nearly 300 MWth about 400.000 tons of woody biomass and 180.000 tons herbaceous biomass (straw, cornstalks) are combusted to generate heat and electricity. The CHP (combined heat and power) unit using woody biomass started in 2004, the straw fired plant in 2013. The first project idea was born in 2002. The development of a new supply chain for straw was one on the biggest challenges. The DALKIA group owns and operates the plant.
Important CO2 reduction
The new straw fired combined heat and electricity plant reduces the CO2 emissions by 150.000 tons CO2 compared to the use of natural gas. The import of gas can now be reduced by 80 million cubic meter, 170 new local jobs were created. Including the wood boiler replacing coal CO2 savings reach 0.5 million tons.
Pécs, a positive example
“ We have to thank and congratulate the decision makers in Pécs - the municipality, the company DALKIA - and in the government in Budapest. Pécs is a pioneer investment and a positive example for a responsible policy concerning climate mitigation and energy security – not only for Europe but globally. Projects like in Pécs are better for the future than new pipelines for gas. Biomass projects of this kind mitigate climate change, create new local jobs and make the supply of energy less dependent on global politics and therefore more secure.” Says Heinz Kopetz, President of WBA.
The World Bioenergy Association will distribute information about this positive example worldwide.
For more information about the project, please visit here.
For more information and comments, please contact:
Heinz Kopetz, President WBA, +436506806988, hg.kopetz@netway.at
Karin Haara, Executive Director WBA, +46705432641, karin.haara@worldbioenergy.org