Enovos Luxembourg and its project partners Pholpa and NPG Energy have celebrated the opening ceremony for the Biopower Tongeren biogas plant in the province of Limburg, Belgium.
In the presence of the minister of Economy and Innovation Ingrid Lieten, the mayor of Tongeren Patrick Dewael, and the CEO of Enovos Luxembourg Jean Lucius, the plant’s engines were started and will run on average 8,200 hours per year.
The biogas plant is the first of its kind in the Benelux. It uses a pre-fermentation tank that enables a higher biogas production.
Located in a predominantly agricultural area, the biogas plant will mainly ferment corn grown in cooperation with local farmers within a 20 kilometre radius. The resulting environmentally friendly biogas will then be converted into electricity via a motor and fed into the local power grid.
The heat resulting from the process will be used to dry the fermentation substrates, which are then returned to the fields as low-odour, high-quality fertilisers.
Commenting, Daniel Christnach, head of Renewable Energies & Cogeneration at Enovos Luxembourg, said: "With a capacity of 2.8 MW, the amount of electricity generated corresponds to the annual consumption of 6,500 households and an annual CO2 reduction of 10,000 tonnes, thus achieving an important step towards further expanding renewable energies.”
Jean Lucius, CEO of Enovos Luxembourg, added: "The participation in the Biopower Tongeren emphasises Enovos' consistent commitment to the field of renewable energy and we are pleased that with this first project we were able to assert this message on the Belgium market."
In cooperation with the project partners, the plant's capacity can optionally be subsequently expanded to 5.6 MW which would be enough to provide green power to all households of the City of Tongeren.
Enovos Luxembourg holds a stake of 24.9 per cent in the project. The project developers NPG Energy and Pholpa are involved as additional partners in the project company, Biopower Tongeren, holding 47.6 per cent and 27.5 per cent respectively.
