Europe’s Largest Forest-Organic Substances Power Plant

The recently opened forest-organic substances power station in Simmering (Vienna Municipal District 11) will serve 48,000 Vienna households with electricity and 12,000 households with heating. Through incineration of 200,000 tons of forest chaff and bark annual savings of 47,000 tons of heating-oil or 72,000 tons of hard coal will be effected.

“Clean and safe power supply”

“By starting up Europe’s largest forest-organic substances power station Vienna is openly dedicating itself to the provision of a clean and safe supply of power for the present and for future generations”, said Vienna’s Mayor Michael Häupl at the official inauguration of the power station in the Simmering district of Vienna.

Built in only 20 months

The City invested € 52 million in the construction of the power station which was completed in the record time of only 20 months. Wien Energie is cooperating with the Austrian Federal Forestries which will supply the plant annually with 200,000 tons of forest chaff and bark.

Wood from a distance of 100 kilometres

The Simmering location was chosen intentionally because transport to there can be effected by river, rail or road. The timber quantities delivered are prepared for use in the nearby Albern harbour. The wood originates in forests up to a distance of 100 kilometres from the power station.

Electricity and heating for Vienna households

The plant, with a power output of 66 megawatts, will eventually supply 48,000 households in Vienna with electricity and 12,000 households with heating. This is equivalent to a savings of 72,000 tons of stone coal or 47,000 tons of heating oil. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will also be reduced by 144,000 tons per year.

Renewable energy

The essential advantage of organic substances is not only the lower level of environmental pollution but also their status as a renewable source of energy. At present the share of organic substances in Austria’s overall annual power production is only 1.5%. The intention is to increase the share of renewable energy (apart from organic substances also water, wind and sun) in electricity production by 2010 to over 78%.

Austria’s largest biodiesel plant

In Vienna’s Lobau oil harbour Austria’s largest biodiesel plant has been opened. It produces about 300,000 litres of the environmentally friendly fuel every day. Biodiesel is made of vegetable oil extracted for example from rapeseed. It is transformed into fuel through a process involving chemical additives and catalytic conversion. Vienna biodiesel meets all the criteria for quality fuel and can be mixed with normal diesel-oil without any problem.

Advantageous location

Biodiesel is naturally degradable and the emission of exhaust gases is much lower than with fossil motor fuels. The plant’s location enables environmentally-friendly distribution of the raw material by rail and river. The main purchaser, OMV, is also located nearby. A special pipeline supplies the biodiesel to the Schwechat refinery.

Link-Tipp

Wien Energie Austrian Federal Forests Biodiesel Vienna OMV