The year 2024 is slowly drawing to a close and, as tradition has it, it is time to take a look back and recap the key events of the past period. Let’s reflect together on this year, which was extremely significant for the Energy financial group, as it brought a number of investment challenges, the implementation of new projects and an increase in the processing and production capacity of energy resources in its portfolio.
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Launch of biomethane production in EFG Vyškov BPS
This year marked the successful modernization of the biogas plant EFG Vyškov BPS, which we managed to complete in just one year. With the start of biomethane production in Vyškov, we have strengthened the Energy financial group’s position as the Czech leader in this production area. Moreover, after extensive reconstruction, the plant has the largest capacity for processing biodegradable waste into low-emission energy in the South Moravian Region.
“By rebuilding the station in Vyškov, we were able to increase the annual capacity of biodegradable waste processing by more than half, i.e. to 30,000 tonnes per year. The biogas production capacity has increased from the original 160 cubic metres to 650 cubic metres per hour. Thanks to the newly installed biomethane production unit, the plant is also able to produce up to 30 GWh of green gas per year, which is a locally produced, full-value substitute for fossil fuels,” says Pavel Bureš, CTO of EFG.
Expansion of the capacity of the biomethane station in Rapotín
We have more than doubled the capacity of biomethane production at the waste biogas plant in Rapotín, which was the first in the Czech Republic to supply this gas from renewable sources to the gas distribution system in 2019. The existing biogas production capacity of 260 m3/hr rose to 750 m3/hr this autumn.
“We have invested approximately CZK 50 million in the purchase and installation of a more efficient biomethane production unit. We successfully shut down the original unit in Rapotín with a capacity of 16 GWh per year in September and replaced it with a larger unit that increased production to 40 GWh of biomethane per year,” explains Martin Janda, Director of EFG Production.
Improvement of power balance services at the MOSTEK energo power plant
As the demand for power balance services (PBS) with electricity from renewable sources persists in the Czech market, we have improved the PBS for grid stability needs in our biomass power plant MOSTEK energo. It is now able to provide support services of up to 11 MW thanks to an increase in the power input of the electric boiler and the achievement of PBS certification on the turbine.
“In a relatively short period of time we managed to increase the output of the electric boiler from the current 7 to 8 MW. At the same time, we have successfully passed the certification of power balance services on a 3 MW turbine. These two improvements not only strengthen our ability to respond to the demand for green electricity, but above all contribute to ensuring the stability of electricity supply in the distribution network. In the future, we also plan to provide power balance services in our biogas plants, which are ideal for this purpose due to their characteristics,” explains Martin Janda, Director of EFG Production division.
The “Třídím gastro” project is already underway in 25 municipalities
EFG Waste logistic has increased the number of kitchen waste collection containers in several towns and villages in Moravia and Silesia during the year as part of the “Třídím gastro” project. Thanks to this expansion, the residents of Břidličná, Hrabišín, Moravičany and Úvalno are now also able to sort biodegradable kitchen waste. However, the project also works at the level of catering facilities at children’s camps, hospitals and schools. In 2024, for example, a hundred Czech schools have already been added to the project.
Instead of landfilling, all separated kitchen waste is transported to local biogas plants EFG Rapotín BPS and EFG Vyškov BPS, where it is processed into low-emission biomethane, electricity and heat.
EFG Educa’s environmental education programmes are also available for high schools
EFG Educa, the educational organisation that has so far provided workshops for primary schools, school catering facilities and children’s camps, has this year also introduced environmental education for high schools. During the course, students gain a comprehensive view of the potential of sorting waste materials such as kitchen scraps from households, schools or restaurants.
“We are delighted that in less than two years since the launch of the pilot we have already provided several educational programmes. Their success has enabled us to extend our offer to high schools and grammar schools, which we introduced at the Gaudeamus trade fair in Prague at the beginning of the year. The seminars for high schools are always led by a lecturer and an expert in renewable energy practice. This gives students the opportunity to learn even more about how much energy is hidden in a raw material commonly perceived as waste and how it can be used if handled properly,” says EFG Educa Project Manager Daniela Machová.
The year 2024 has been a growth period for us, and we believe that the coming year will also bring the fulfilment of our ambitious goals. We plan to continue expanding our portfolio of biogas and biomethane plants and invest in new facilities with a total biomethane production capacity of 100 GWh. We should be able to process up to 100,000 tonnes of otherwise unusable, almost exclusively landfilled organic waste per year. In addition, we are also planning other projects to expand our portfolio of renewable resources and power balance services.
