BUSINESS

A Path From Heavy Industry Towards

Smart Cities of the Future?

...ČEZ ESCO Helps Třinec and Other Towns to Become Nice

and Modern Places for Life

Moravian-Silesian towns and municipalities are gradually getting rid of the burden of their

industrial past, changing into modern places for a happy life. ČEZ ESCO is helping Třinec with

the implementation of electromobility in a clean public transportation system and using smart

technologies in schools and hospitals. The hospital in Třinec is also part of one of the largest

energy-saving projects in the Czech Republic. The Moravian-Silesian Region is saving 19.5 m CZK

each year. We discussed specific steps—which might also be inspirational for other towns—with

Lukáš Roubíček, head of industrial power engineering at ČEZ ESCO.

What does your company offer to towns similar to

Třinec?

We can help the Moravian-Silesian Region, towns

and municipalities with the development of modern

power engineering; specifically, we design and

implement energy savings and modern technologies.

The introduction of emissions-free transport has

a huge influence on the improvement of air quality

in towns. Within the Smart City project, we have

implemented on the turnkey basis the facilities for

electrobuses for clean public transportation. In the

field of electromobility, we offer complex solutions,

from design and charging station installation to

consequent services..

Text: redakce

Foto: ČEZ ESCO, a.s.

18 ǀ POSITIV 3/2021

Noise- and emission-free cars are the most visible

step towards smart towns of the future at first

sight. But also, energy savings in schools, hospitals

and other large public buildings that consume

large-amounts of electricity and gas have a great

influence on life in towns. What are your results in

this field?

Energy savings are the key field we focus on at

ČEZ ESCO. Our subsidiary, ENESA, has one of

the largest Czech energy saving EPC projects

in the Moravian-Silesian Region. We have

performed power-engineering modernization

in ten schools, Nový domov in Karviná and two

hospitals—one in Havířov and one in Třinec. In

the hospitals in Třinec and Havířov, we removed

central steam production, added thermostatic

valves to the radiators and installed energy-saving

pearl collectors on most faucets. We have also

modernized heating in schools and installed LED

luminaires and made some saving measures on

water in these places, as well. This way, the region

saves 19.5 m CZK each year. This is the amount

we guarantee in the contract, however, the real

savings are usually a few million higher.

You also have other projects in the Třinec region.

For example, the project for Třinecké železárny,

a symbol of Czech industrial production...

Our subsidiary at Ostrava-ČEZ Energetické služby

modernized the main compressor rooms of Energetika

Třinec, where compressed air for Třinecké železárny

is produced. This was a proper technical challenge as

the turbo compressors needed to be installed while

still in full operation so that supplies of compressed

air were never cut off and thus the production in the

ironworks was never jeopardized. Modernization will

help to increase energy efficiency by approximately

thirty percent. Our other subsidiary, HA.EM Ostrava,

works for Třinecké železárny on a long-term basis

and recently they participated in a large contract

for the modernization of media distribution on the

premises.

You also work in the heating industry. The Czech

heating industry will soon undergo the biggest

change in decades—among other changes—due

to pressure from the European Union. Are you

ready for this process and how are towns and

municipalities reacting to this?

We see growing interest from towns and municipalities

to find an effective solution that will enable them to

move away from dirty coal and preserve stable and

acceptable heating prices for their citizens at the same

time. Additionally, here we are able to help towns

make heating systems ‘green’. As an example, I can

mention our heating and power plant in Vítkovice.

We already switched from black coal to gas and

cogeneration. This measure had an eminently positive

influence on the air quality in Ostrava. Similarly, we

helped Havířov leave coal. We are establishing a joint

subsidiary, which will make the heating industry in the

town ‘green’.

Mr Roubíček, thank you for the interview.