Koehlet Group Converts From Coal-Fired to Environmentally Friendly Biomass Power Plant

Construction work began on the Koehler Group’s combined heat and power plant in Oberkirch with a ceremonial groundbreaking on April 21, 2023. The existing power plant is expected to be expanded and converted by fall 2024 to ensure biomass is burnt in an environmentally friendly way in future. This conversion is part of the Koehler Group’s climate strategy.

Decarbonizing energy and steam generation is part of the Koehler Group’s climate strategy. In the long term, both Germany and the EU are striving to become climate neutral. The EU is aiming to reach this milestone by 2050, while Germany is targeting 2045. The Koehler Group has set out even more ambitious targets and is aiming to generate more energy from renewable sources than is required for paper production by 2030.

To mark the official start of construction at the power plant in Oberkirch, the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by the mayor of Oberkirch, Christoph Lipps, external project partners, and members of the Koehler-Group project team, among others. Kai Furler, CEO of the Koehler Group, emphasized: “we don’t view sustainability as a trend, but as a necessity for society’s long term survival. By converting the power plant at our headquarters in Oberkirch, we have made a significant step towards climate neutrality.” Converting the power plant to biomass will save 150,000 metric tonnes of CO2 per year at the Oberkirch site and is another step towards achieving the Koehler climate strategy.

Over EUR 70 million for sustainable investment
In order to generate the energy to produce various special papers from biomass going forwards, the Koehler Group has invested over EUR 70 million in the Oberkirch site. The existing power plant, which was built in 1986, is being adapted for the new fuel through various conversion measures. In addition, two collection points for unloading trucks and corresponding silos will be built. In future, Koehler will use wood chips, green waste, and mill residue as fuel. The advantage of using biomass as a fuel is not only is it carbon neutral, but it is also widely available as only natural wood from the region is used. The Koehler Group will continue to reduce it’s carbon footprint through efficient processes, one step at a time.

Oberkirch site secured long term
The switch to biomass is also a vital step towards securing the Oberkirch site, where over 1,000 jobs depend on the company’s sustainable approach. There are limits as to the size of the site due to its location, so as a result of this, upgrading the existing power plant was the best option to ensure production is environmentally friendly. Alongside the conversion of the power plant, the “cold reserve” is also being expanded, which can be activated in the event of a shutdown. Burning biomass requires significantly more maintenance work than previously, which causes stoppages. Biomass is also not as efficient as black coal. The larger cold reserve, which will be operated using natural gas instead of heating oil, will however ensure a smooth production process. There are even plans for a mains parallel operation, whereby surplus green energy is then fed into the public grid.
https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/news/publications/Groundbreaking-ceremony-biomass-power-plant-Oberkirch.php

Related Posts

Too hot to handle – The rise in global forest fires

Russia, Indonesia, California and Australia– the list of forest fires of unprecedented size and force is growing. Why is this occurring and how should the world respond to combat this threat? Australia has been burning like never before. The forest fire season typically peaks in January and February, but the fires that started in November last year have already killed over thirty people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the states of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. While record-breaking temperatures and a long-running drought had authorities monitoring the situation closely, nothing of this magnitude was expected. The most urgent phase of this round of fires is over, for now, but the blazes will take months to extinguish entirely. The full damage to Australian infrastructure and forest ecosystems is still to be revealed. As a new decade starts, we are entering uncharted territory. In the last five years, fires have destroyed thousands of hectares of forests in the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden and China. click read more below for the rest of this story

Report from the Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute: Metal Remains the Recycling Champ

With metal packaging as our primary product, sustainability is ingrained in our business and will remain a core value for our Company moving forward. Through our Twentyby30 program, we are working with industry partners to educate our supply chain about how the format’s high recyclability and recycling rates support collective goals to advance the Circular Economy. A recent report from the Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute helps tell this story, using the latest industry data to reinforce the strengths of aluminum beverage cans. The Aluminum Can Advantage: Sustainability Key Performance Indicators 2020 reveals that metal has maintained its industry-leading position as the most recycled beverage package in the world. In fact, data shows that consumers recycle aluminum cans at nearly double the rate of plastic bottles—a staggering discrepancy. When properly recovered, those used beverage cans (UBCs) fall within a closed-loop recycling process that allows for repeated—and infinite—recycling. Today, the average aluminum can in the United States contains 73 percent recycled content, compared to less than 6 percent for plastic (PET) bottles, demonstrating the staying power of the material and its viability for reuse.

The forest solution: PEFC, fashion and sustainable supply chains

From the high use of water and pesticides to produce cotton, to the climate impact of manufacturing synthetic fibres, the fashion industry is one of the most resource intensive industries in the world. In response, the fashion industry is increasingly looking to implement sustainability within its supply chains. This week, we are at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit to promote our solution directly to fashion brands and retailers. The solution? Forests, of course! Forests provide materials and fibres for many of the common consumer products we use today. Yarn from cypress, beech and eucalyptus trees can make fibres for clothing. Cork and wood can be used for not only clothing, but accessories too. Check out the shoes we are taking to the Summit, made from eucalyptus and natural rubber. Click Read More below for additional information.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search