BUSINESS
VEOLIA Continues to Modernise
Heat Production Through a Circular
Economy and Greater Resilience to
External Influences
The dramatic situation surrounding energy and raw materials is affecting both energy consumers
and suppliers, who need to reconsider their plans. But Veolia Group — the main heat supplier
in the Moravian-Silesian Region—continue their important and long-term projects. This applies,
for example, to the modernisation and ecologisation of the Karviná heating plant, where the use
of coal will gradually be reduced and replaced by a combination of gas, biomass and processed
non-recyclable waste. The investments in new technologies will allow for the ecological and safe
production of heat for Karviná and Havířov from locally available sources.
The whole of Europe wants to replace coal with
renewable sources in the long term and now,
because of the war in Ukraine, it is also trying to
find a way to get rid of its dependence on Russian
gas. This brings security and self-sufficiency to
the forefront of the energy sector. All of this also
affects energy producers and suppliers in our
country. Those who have already focused on
diversifying their risks and using different types of
fuels with an emphasis on regional options have
an advantage. This is the route Veolia has taken,
and today it is proving to be the right one.
One example is one of Veolia‘s largest projects
in the Moravian-Silesian Region — the further
ecologisation and modernisation of the Karviná
Heating Plant, which supplies heat to Karviná and
Haví řov. Last year, Veolia built a gas connection
there and is currently building gas boilers. At
the same time, it continues to maintain coal-fired
technology as the central technology, which will be
decommissioned when the construction of the new
multi-fuel boiler is completed. This boiler will be
able to generate heat from biomass and so-called
solid alternative fuels, which will be produced from
sorted municipal waste, preferably from the region.
This combination allows us to react to the current
situation and the availability of individual fuels.
The residents of Haví řov and Karviná will thus have,
unlike some other towns in the Czech Republic,
a stable supply of heat with a high proportion of
renewable sources at a reasonable price. Veolia
cannot and will not wait to see how the plan
between the City of Haví řov and ČEZ Group,
based on the construction of new boiler houses
around the city and expensive and uncertain
gas from Russia, turns out. They are aware of its
responsibility towards towns and municipalities
and are continuing the transformation project they
have started.
Energy utilisation of local municipal waste
An additional benefit of this project is the modern
energy utilisation of municipal waste, which will no
longer be allowed to end up in landfills. Veolia will
thus significantly help towns and municipalities in
the Karviná region to solve waste issues and to use
waste in a meaningful way based on the principle
of circular economy. To this end, a contractual
cooperation has been established between Veolia
and CEVYKO, which is preparing the construction
of a Municipal Waste Recovery Centre. The initiator
of the project and one of the three shareholders
of CEVYKO is the city of Haví řov. The aim of
the project is to build a modern technological
facility to efficiently process municipal waste with
the production of solid alternative fuels to be used
in a multi-fuel boiler in the Karviná heating plant.
The project will enable participating towns and
municipalities to use municipal waste in the long
term not only in accordance with legislation but
also with the maximum possible degree of material
and energy recovery. Thanks to cooperation
with Veolia, Haví řov can become an example of
a responsible and modern approach to waste for
other towns and cities in the Moravian-Silesian
Region.
Text a foto:
Veolia Energie
ČR, a.s.
POSITIV 2/2022 ǀ 23