ELMIB Group will start the construction of a biopower plant in Salgótarján in 2010. It is going to supply 3800 households and 700 institutions with cheaper heating and 20,000 households with electricity using cutting edge, environmentally friendly technology. The investment is going to generate 100 jobs.
ELMIB group will build a cutting edge, environmentally friendly biomass power plant in Salgótarján. The technology has been used in many countries in Western Europe for years. The construction is going to be finished by the end of 2012 and the virtually smoke-free plant fitting into the green concept of the city relying on local supply is going to solve the problem of cheap district heating of Salgótarján in the long run.
The estimated value of the investment is 9 billion HUF, and it will mostly utilize non-usable lumber, like the waste of the forestry and lumber industry, sawdust and timber. The plant is based on arboreal material, and its biggest advantage over traditional power plants is the lower environmental pollution. The smoke emission of the plant will be close to nothing, while the remaing ash can be used as fertilizer.
Székyné dr. Sztrémi Melinda, the mayor of Salgótarján emphasized that the town had done a lot in recent years to make district heating more competitive and efforts had been made to encourage inhabitants to choose environmentally friendly heating. Thus heating fees will not include profit, they almost exclusively depend on heating costs, which can be considered unique in Hungary. The price of heating supplied by the plant to be built is going to reduce heating bills by around 10% compared to district heating prices arising from gas prices. It will mean large savings for 3800 households in Salgótarján right from the the very start. For the further improvement of the efficiency of district heating will be inevitable to attract new consumers. The possibility of such developments is currently being examined by the town and ELMIB together.
After acquiring all the necessary regulatory licences construction will start in 2010, and the power plant is going to operate from the fourth quarter of 2012. Running at full capacity the energy generated is an intended 200,000 GJ per year, covering half of the district heating demand in Salgótarján. The number of staff employed by the plant is going to be 12-20 people, but another 60-80 new jobs will be generated by suppliers.
Kele József, the CEO of ELMIB was keen to emphasize that just like in other parts of the country, ELMIB group had worked out a solution which is not only environmentally friendly based on renewable energy sources but also extremely cost-effective. In accordance with Hungarian energy policy and EU guidelines the company strives to reduce the energy dependency of the country and its municipalities.
ELMIB Group recently started the third largest biogas power plant of the country in Dömsöd. It utilizes the agricultural waste arising from agricultural production and makes otherwise hazardous waste harmless. The plant generates electricity of 11,000 MWh which can supply around 3000 households. By 2012 ELMIB will have built another biomass power plant in Kaposvár, which will reduce heating bills in the town as well as generate electricity. Apart from biopower plants, the Group plans to develop the municipal district heating system in Tatabánya as a shareholder in the heating plant of the town.
ELMIB group is one of the most rapidly growing Hungarian-owned energy companies. Its consolidated revenues in 2008 were approximately 21 billion HUF, which was double the result of the previous year. The consolidated equity of the group rose to 8 billion HUF.
