'Gren' to invest in regeneration plant in Acone, Latvia

Gren, a Northern European energy company, plans to invest more than €200 million in Latvia and build a regeneration plant in Acone, Salaspils municipality. The new regeneration plant is expected to be operational in 2029, said the company in a release May 16.

"More than 500 waste-to-energy plants are currently operating in Europe, providing a competitive energy price for users and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Latvia is one of the last EU Member States where this solution is not used. Gren's experience in Northern Europe, including the Baltics, will help to implement a project of this scale," said Ilkka Niiranen, CEO of Gren.

"Competitive heat is needed in Riga. Our resources will be the waste that currently ends up in Latvia's landfills after sorting. For the planning, design, implementation, and operation of the CHP project, we will use our best experience from Lithuania, where a similar CHP plant in Klaipeda has been successfully operating for 11 years," explained Andris Vanags, Gren's Chief Operating Officer in Latvia.

"The new plant will strengthen our energy independence and security, as well as divert residual waste from landfills. The project will invest in the country's economy, create a cleaner environment and build infrastructure for further development," Vanags stressed.

According to the project plans, the new recovery plant will use sorted, non-hazardous municipal and industrial waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, for energy. Wood residues and low-quality biomass will also be used. The fuel will be delivered by local contractors in closed trucks and unloaded in a closed, secure, controlled area, preventing dust and odours from being released into the environment.

Between 150 and 200 thousand tonnes of fuel are expected to be used per year. The thermal capacity of the recovery plant is planned at 50-70 MW and the electrical capacity at 15-20 MW.

The CHP plant will be constructed so that odors will not be released outside the plant. A special flue gas cleaning system will be used to treat the flue gases produced during the production process, resulting in significantly lower emissions than allowed by current legislation. The plant will be equipped with a continuous emissions monitoring system, ensuring control and transparent availability of performance indicators to the public and regulatory authorities, the company said.

Gren currently operates in Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden and the UK.

Source: Eng.LSM.lv (Latvian Public Broadcasting)
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