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New farm biogas plant launched in Pomerania
Today, the town of Koczała, Pomerania Province, has seen an inauguration of a new farm biogas plant. The event was attended among others by the Ambassador of Denmark to Poland, Hans Michael Kofoed-Hansen, and Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Kazimierz Plocke.
 Poldanor S.A., the largest pig producer in Poland, is the only enterprise on Polish ground to operate farm biogas plants. The newly launched biogas plant in Koczała is the fourth investment of this kind of the company. The very first biogas plant was built also by Poldanor in Pawłówko in 2005, followed by the ones in Płaszczyca and Kujanki, all of them in Pomerania Province.
The new Koczała-based farm biogas plant has two gas engines with a total of 2.1 MW. The electricity is generated of liquid slurry and maize silage, amounting to the average electricity consumption of around 5.000 households. The energy produced in Koczała will first of all be used to meet the needs of the nearby pig farm and feed mill, whereas the excess energy will be sold to the electricity network. Additionally, the plant will produce heat which Poldanor will use in the very plant, and also to warm its own farm buildings.
“Opening another biogas plant is clear evidence that a large and efficient farming company can and should be a part of the Polish farming sector. Our investments also show that large agriculture companies may make a contribution to sustainable agriculture, caring for the environment and promoting renewable energy,” says Grzegorz Brodziak, Chairman of Poldanor’s Board of Management.
In the next three years to come, the company intends to build nine further biogas plants. The investments will be sited in Pomerania and West Pomerania Provinces. The total power of the existing and intended biogas plants will reach 13 MW. The electricity produced could satisfy the needs of around 35.,000–40.,000 households. „Poldanor is a perfect example of combining Polish and Danish business experiences. Danish companies have invariably had, not only environmental protection at heart, but also human resources management and corporate social responsibility. These goals have been pursued by Poldanor for 15 years since its establishment in Poland,” said Denmark’s Ambassador to Poland, Hans Michel Kofoed-Hansen.
 Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Kazimierz Plocke, aired his view too: „It is a pleasure to see Poldanor opening a new biogas plant. In May, we will have completed the government program for biogas plants construction in Poland, and I would like to use the occasion to thank Poldanor’s representatives for their free-of-charge contribution and aid given to the project.”
Farm biogas plants, an example of second-generation biofuels, are given priority both in the European Union policy and by the present Polish government. Plants producing clean energy are beneficial to the environment, but, predominantly, contribute to the reduction of the greenhouse effect and diversification of energy supplies, thus limiting dependence on conventional energy sources.
Basic technical information on Koczała biogas plant:
• liquid manure input – 56,000 t/year
• maize silage input – 25,000 t/year
• glycerin input – 10,000 t/year
• total capacity of fermentation tanks, 9,300 m3
• combined heating and power station with an electric power of 2,126 kW
• heating boiler with a thermal power of 1,900 kW
• yearly biogas production:
- biogas approx. 7.8m m3
- electricity approx. 18m kWh/year
- heat approx. 19.5m kWh/year
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