ANTWERP, Belgium, August 7, 2007 -- Thenergo, a leading developer of CHP clean energy solutions, announces it will develop a 3.2 MW CHP agri-waste to electricity facility, or E-farm, in West Flanders (Belgium). The project will be operational for up to 8,000 hours per year, generating annually 24,000MWh of clean power, enough to supply around-the-clock electricity for up to 6,000 households.
Thenergo E-farms will produce energy from organic waste produced by agricultural businesses, ranging from livestock smallholders to industrial-scale farmers and processors. E-farms are both an elegant waste solution -- avoiding the need for landfill and incineration -- and a source of much needed renewable energy for Europe. E-farms will assure agricultural businesses of reliable and cost-effective on-site energy while also providing surplus renewable energy to the local and national electricity grids.
Construction of the E-farm will begin in October 2007 and is expected to be operational within 15 months. The development and building costs represent an investment of €20 million. Thenergo will hold a 75% stake in this project.
The facility will generate power from animal manure (60,000T pa) and food processing waste (60,000T pa). Long-term contracts with local suppliers will ensure delivery over the 20-year life of the plant. The facility will generate average annual sales of €6 million.
Thenergo's CEO Kurt Alen said: "E-farms bring into focus all the components of Thenergo's business model. From procurement, concept engineering and operational management to electricity trading, certificate and by-product sales, Thenergo will draw on its industry knowledge and engineering expertise, enabling it to extract full value from every step of the chain. Together with the Valmass E-farm project, a 1.6MW CHP E-farm also under construction in West Flanders, Thenergo today is becoming an influential player in this fast developing sector".
Founded in 2002 and based in Antwerp, Belgium, Thenergo is one of Europe's leading independent developers and operators of sustainable energy projects using biomass, biogas and natural gas. Thenergo designs, builds, finances, trades energy and operates Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects for its own account and on behalf of its clients. To date, Thenergo has a gross installed capacity of 33.4MW for an annual electricity production capacity of 135 GWh.
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