REGION

The Town of Havířov

Is Not Afraid of

Power Engineering

Transformation

Last summer, the Statutory Town of Havířov and ČEZ

ESCO established a joint venture to help the town

modernize its energy sector. The first step will be

the transformation of the heating industry in Havířov

from coal towards greener resources. The aim of

the city is to stabilize the central heat supply network,

describe Ing. Josef Bělica, MBA, the mayor of Havířov,

and Ing. Kamil Čermák, CEO of ČEZ ESCO.

The Mayor of the Statutory Town of Havířov

Ing. Josef Bělica, MBA:

Heating prices have grown significantly in the whole

republic. How will Havířov ensure that heating prices

for the city's residents rise as little as possible?

In addition to ecology, heating prices were one of

the reasons why the city decided to establish a joint venture

with ČEZ ESCO, which is planning an alternative project

to supply heat to citizens and companies in city buildings

under economically and environmentally more favorable

conditions. We no longer want to be dependent on

the offer of a single monopoly supplier. We will choose

the alternative that will be the most advantageous for

Havířov and its residents in a transparent public tender. Until

2026—when the contract expires—heating for the residents

of Havířov is provided by Veolia. In the meantime, ENVEZ

will design a tailor-made heating system for Havířov, thus

creating a competitive environment for the tender.

Text: redakce

Foto: Petr

Sznapka

Isn't entering the business environment risky

for the city?

Doing nothing and counting on cheap energy prices

falling out of the sky in a few years would be more risky.

Look at what is happening now in the energy sector

in relation to Ukraine. Prices are soaring again. We

cannot be passive. ENVEZ is a joint venture established

by the Statutory Town of Havířov and ČEZ ESCO.

The business activities are mainly services in the field of

heating, i.e. the production of thermal energy as well as

so-called green emission-free projects. In the first stage,

the city will not invest more than 20m CZK in the project.

This amount consists of a shareholder contribution

and a share of the design phase. If it turns out that

the project is not economically and environmentally

beneficial, the city can withdraw from it at any time with

relatively low losses. For example, if the project were to

fail, the city's loss would be approximately the amount

we are investing this year to replace the electrical

wiring in one elementary school. On the other hand,

if the project proves to be viable, this investment will

be returned to the city and its citizens many times over.

88 ǀ POSITIV 1/2022

CEO of ČEZ ESCO, Ing. Kamil Čermák:

How will ENVEZ achieve the announced

environmental improvements?

In this complicated situation, there are several alternatives.

We don't want to rush anything, so we decided first to

carefully tailor a project for Havířov on how local green

energy could look. It has to be ecological and effective

and financially beneficial for the citizens at the same time.

One of the main roles should be played by cogeneration,

which is a very efficient joint production of electricity and

heat. Small CHP units are more eco-friendly because their

efficiency is 90%, so they don't need as much fuel, which

other conventional sources can't do. This is a definite

advantage for the inhabitants, for nature, for society

as a whole. The benefits of cogeneration are already

known to many towns. We have cogeneration units in

ninety locations across the country. But the project will

definitely not be based only on cogeneration units. We

want to combine them with renewable resources such as

heat pumps or photovoltaic power plants. What will also

be important for the environment is that heat production

will be moved closer to the point of consumption, heat

losses will be eliminated and we will provide basically

tailor-made heat, exactly as much as people need.

But ENVEZ certainly does not have ambitions only in

the heating industry. We are counting on using experts

from ČEZ ESCO, a market leader in energy-saving

projects, to offer cooperation on other ecologically

beneficial projects in Havířov that will make the town

greener and more efficient, thus saving Havířov money

for other interesting investments for the people.

What is the share capital of ENVEZ and how does

ČEZ ESCO and Havířov participate in it?

ENVEZ has a share capital of 9.5m CZK, ESCO has

a 51% stake and Havířov 49%. But I would like to say

that it is an equal partnership—we prepare the whole

project with a common purpose and we always try to

agree together, otherwise it wouldn't be worth it. On

important matters, 100% of all shareholders must agree

on the vote and it cannot happen that one shareholder

outvoted another.

Since 2018, we had a similar joint venture in Prešov and

Nové Zámky. We supply heat for 23,000 households in

collaboration with the towns. Other cities in the Czech

Republic have already expressed interest in a similar

model—mayors are aware that providing environmentally

friendly and affordable heat will be a big task and only

those who are well prepared can do it.

Mr Mayor, Mr CEO, thank you for the interview.