Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and its project partners NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA celebrated the laying of the foundation stone of the largest biogas plant in the Belgian province of Limburg in the town of Tongeren. A tree was also planted in the presence of Enovos Luxembourg’s CEO, Jean Lucius, and the Mayor of the City of Tongeren, Patrick Dewael, to symbolise that this biogas plant will be 100% carbon neutral. The plant start-up will take place in April 2012.
In August 2011, Enovos Luxembourg S.A. signed the contracts to acquire a 24.9% stake in the biogas plant. For Enovos Luxembourg, this represents the first investment in renewable energy in Belgium. "The participation in the Biopower Tongeren N.V. 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," said Lucius.
Located in a predominantly agricultural area, the biogas plant will mainly ferment corn that is grown in close cooperation with local farmers within a 15-km radius.
The resulting environmentally friendly biogas is converted into electricity via a motor and is then fed into the local power grid. The heat resulting from the process is used to dry the fermentation substrates. These substrates are returned to the fields as low-odour, high-quality fertilisers, thus producing a closed cycle.
"With a capacity of approximately 3 MW, the amount of electricity generated corresponds to the annual consumption of 6,500 households and an annual carbon dioxide reduction of 10,000 tonnes, thus achieving an important step towards further expanding renewable energies," explains Daniel Christnach, Head of Renewable Energies & Cogeneration at Enovos Luxembourg. In cooperation with the project partners, the plant's capacity can optionally be subsequently expanded to 5.6 MW. The building licence for this already exists.
The project developers NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA are involved as additional partners in the project company, Biopower Tongeren N.V., each with 47.6% and 27.5% respectively.
As energy supplier on the Luxembourg, German, French and – since 2011 – Belgian energy market, Enovos Luxembourg's mission consists of generating electricity, natural gas and renewable energy for municipal providers, industries and private households. Expressed in numbers, the Enovos Group currently boasts more than 280,000 points of delivery, over 8,700 km of electric lines and more than 3,600 km of gas pipelines.
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