ČEZ ESCO: We Will Help the Moravian-Silesian Region Breathe

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.