In the Czech Republic, energy utility ŠKO-ENERGO s.r.o. has hosted a foundation stone laying ceremony marking the start of the modernization of its Mladá Boleslav combined heat and power plant.
Operating three combined heat and power (CHP) plants, ŠKO-ENERGO supplies all energy for the Škoda Auto plants located in Vrchlabí, Kvasiny, and Mladá Boleslav respectively, and heat for the city of Mladá Boleslav.
The ŠKO-ENERGO Vrchlabí and Kvasiny plants are gas-fired cogeneration units, the former of which operates on biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG), making Vrchlabí the first carbon-neutral plant in the entire Volkswagen Group in 2021.
Phase out coal
According to ŠKO-ENERGO, the Mladá Boleslav plant modernization will enable the complete replacement of coal with woodchips and biomass pellets, which will lead to a reduction in fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 290,000 tonnes per year.
ŠKO-ENERGO, as an independent company, has been a reliable partner for energy supplies for Škoda Auto and the city of Mladá Boleslav for almost 30 years and is currently entering a new stage. The modernization represents an important milestone in the transition to decarbonization, which we have embarked on together with our parent company Škoda Auto, said Tomáš Kubín, CEO of ŠKO-ENERGO.
Representing one of the largest investments in renewable energy sources in the Czech Republic, the modernization of the ŠKO-ENERGO heating plant will require a total investment of EUR 180 million, of which EUR 87 million will be financed from the Modernization Fund of the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic.
From 2024 to 2027, the retrofit of two existing fluidized bed boilers K80 and K90, and the construction of a completely new fluidized bed boiler K20, will take place. Large-capacity silos will also be built on the site, where woodchips will be stored, and a sorting plant. In addition, facilities for unloading and transporting wood chips to the boilers will be created, and the railway siding will also be extended, explained Milan Poddaný, Project Manager for the modernization process.
