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.
Text:
redakce
Foto:
Archiv
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.
ng
“ 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.