BUSINESS

ČEZ ESCO:

We Will Help the Moravian-Silesian

Region Breathe Better

Save the environment! This is the invitation the European Union extends to member countries,

an invitation that currently sets the goal of reaching energy savings of 32.5 % by 2030. The Czech

heating industry is undergoing massive changes related to the minimization of emission limits. Coal

is being pushed out by natural gas and biomass. The transformation of Czech heating sources

is not possible without investments–European resources will be available for them. Another wave

of ecologizing energy means good news for citizens. The leading position in the energy savings

market and ecological solutions for towns and municipalities is occupied by ČEZ ESCO. We talked

with Kamil Čermák, the managing director of the company.

Mr Director, in a recent press conference regarding

energy savings over the past year, you introduced last

year‘s record results. What was the year 2020 like in

regards to savings?

Last year’s numbers made me really happy because we

managed to save 250,000,000 CZK for our customers.

The result is admirable when considering complications

and restrictions brought by COVID-19 into account.

To get to a construction site, renew the necessary

qualifications for technicians and workers, arrange

things with authorities–many usual steps became almost

superhuman tasks, especially during the spring. Yet

we still managed to implement large and demanding

projects. The fact that most of the savings projects are

in public buildings--hospitals, schools, town halls, offices-is even more positive. In the Moravian-Silesian Region

specifically, our projects bring energy savings of over

40,000,000 CZK annually in hospitals or secondary

schools managed by the region as well as nursery schools

and primary schools owned by the town of Český Těšín.

Additionally, the ecological savings are important--approximately 7,000 tons of CO2.

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Foto:

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ČEZ ESCO, a.s.

If we want to fulfill the strict European limits, we

need to modernize large energy sources. The Czech

heating industry is currently undergoing the largest

transformation. What specific projects have you

helped concerning the ecologization of the heating

industry?

I come from Olomouc, so the whole of Northern

Moravia is definitely closer to me than to the average

Praguer. After all, Moravian companies---ČEZ Energo

and ČEZ Energetické služby---laid the foundation also

for ČEZ ESCO, and we still employ 600 people here.

I think we can significantly contribute to the region‘s

ecologization. For example, our heating and power

plant in Vítkovice switched from black coal to gas and

cogeneration, which has a very positive impact on the

air in Ostrava. The new ecological solution significantly

reduced emissions of sulfur, nitrogen, dust and carbon

dioxide. We also had a lot of ecological contracts for

Moravian industrial companies. And we want to continue

to help the region. Our ecologization projects are,

16 ǀ POSITIV 1/2021

of course, in the whole republic---in Spolana in Neratovice,

we installed a gigantic new modern gas engine room.

We also built a similar large modern source in Prague

for Pražská teplárenská. It is not just about changing the

engine. The complexity of the services is what makes us

the leader on the market of energy-saving solutions and

a reliable partner.

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“ The Czech heatitheindustry

will soon undergo

biggest

change in decades.

”

Cleaner air for the citizens and saved energy costs for

town budgets are the real impacts of your work for the

public. Do you also see other fields and opportunities

that can be brought to the regions by the energysavings projects?

Our motto at ČEZ is: ‘We are with you’. We want to offer

the Moravian-Silesian Region, towns and municipalities

the thing we can do best: the development of modern

energy, energy-saving projects and smart solutions.

The town of Havířov is an example of such functioning

collaboration. We provided electromobiles via the

Smart City Havířov project and started the gradual

development of a modern energy infrastructure in the

town.

We also offer solutions for the ecologization

of heating systems. After all, we are number one in Czech

cogeneration via ČEZ Energo, i.e. in modern and highly

efficient mini heating plants. The Czech heating industry

will soon undergo the biggest change in decades.

To produce heat from coal is becoming less profitable

and it is not ecological. The government wants

to transform the coal heating industry to gas, and

we need to start soon. It will bring costs, but also

jobs and much-needed investments for towns and

municipalities here. And most importantly---a better

environment for all of us.

Thank you for the interview.