A new biofuel boiler house has been opened in Valmiera, Latvia

14th November 2020
Partnership stories District heating

In co-financing from the European Union Cohesion Fund, the new biofuel boiler house of JSC Valmieras Enerģija was opened in Valmiera. Over 90% of heating will be produced from renewable energy resources. With the new boiler house, CO2 emissions will decrease by 10,000 tonnes a year.

“This is an important project for Valmiera, and the new boiler house will ensure that Valmiera’s energy supply stands on sustainable future”, indicates Valmiera City Council Chairman Jānis Baiks.

The new boiler house is equipped with technologies, which ensure high energy efficiency and automated, environmentally friendly operations. In total, the boiler house operates a biofuel boiler with 9 MW capacity, as well as a fuel gas condensation economiser with 1.5 MW capacity.

“Our goal is to create environmentally friendly, resource-efficient and sustainable energy solutions, and the new biofuel boiler house is a great example of this. By using various technologies, we have created a thermal energy generation system, which is less dependent on fossil fuels and facilitates a more stable and predictable heating tariff. Stabilization of the heating tariff was one of the main tasks in implementing the boiler house construction project,” explains Māris Kānītis, CEO Adven Latvia.

The new biofuel boiler house has started its operation already during this heating season. Several entrepreneurs from Valmiera region were involved in the construction of the boiler house. The new boiler house will continue to strengthen the economy by providing local entrepreneurs with the opportunity to supply wood chips.

“Even though we know that energy production is one of the biggest environmental impactors, we at Adven, have taken the clear approach that we want to be part of the solution to climate change. The new Valmiera boiler house is clearly one great step towards the right direction. By converting from fossil fuels to biofuels, we will reduce CO2 emissions and provide a more stable, affordable heat price for the local people. Such investments are a great interest of Adven, and in Latvia we have already found many companies, where the same journey and example of Valmiera could be followed. Of course, these projects can only happen if the interests of the involved parties align. We are happy that Adven’s story in Latvia started in Valmiera because green and more efficient energy production has been the core value of the municipality. We found excellent partners to carry out this project,” says Urmo Heinam, CEO Adven Baltic.

Adven Latvia and Valmiera City Council’s owned corporation JSC Valmieras Enerģija generates up to 84% of the thermal energy used in Valmiera’s central heating, which the heating operator LTD Valmieras ūdens supplies to buildings on the left and right banks of the river Gauja, providing hot water and heating. Adven Latvia currently owns 52.15% of the shares in JSC Valmieras Enerģija, while the remaining 47.85% of shares are owned by Valmiera City Council.