EPURON implements one of the largest biogas installations in Brandenburg

- Energy generated would be sufficient to supply the entire Jüterbog community with electrical power

- Conergy Group forges ahead with its bioenergy programme

Hamburg, 30 January 2007: EPURON, a member of the Conergy Group, is currently developing a 1.79 megawatt biogas installation in Jüterbog, Germany (near Berlin in the state of Brandenburg). In terms of output, it is one of the largest installations of its kind in the Brandenburg region. EPURON is responsible: for economic planning, property collateralisation and financing the installation. Construction planning and installation are in the hands of the sister company SunTechnics which is a specialist in implementing agricultural biogas and large-scale turnkey installations with outputs of up to 3.5 megawatts. "Last year, we systematically developed our first project in this segment in order to push towards our growth targets in the bioenergy sector“, says Nikolaus Krane, member of the board at EPURON and responsible for Bioenergy.

The installation, which will go on stream in April, is designed to handle the fermentation of approximately 24,500 tons of pig liquid manure and 31,500 tons of corn silage per annum. Input feedstocks will be supplied by a neighbouring pig farm and the Jüterbog agricultural co-operative society. A long-term supply has been contractually secured. The fermentation substrates by-product from the power generation process will, in turn, be purchased by the agricultural co-operative society and used in local fields as organic manure. This mass has less odour compared to conventional manure and does not pollute the environment. Six and a half million cubic metres of biogas will be produced annually in three fermenting vats with a total capacity of 7,500 cubic metres. The biogas will thereupon be converted to approximately 13.7 million kilowatt hours of electrical power in three block power heating stations. The electrical power will be fed into the E.ON.edis grid over a period of at least 20 years. The annual electrical power output is sufficient to supply some 4,000 households; i.e., more than the population of Jüterbog. In addition, e.distherm, a partner company of E.ON.edis, has agreed to purchase a large portion of the heat produced by the power generation and feed this into its long-distance heating network.

Given the finite nature of fossil energy resources, major projects for the supply of electrical and thermal energy to public networks will become increasingly important due to rising energy costs and a growing dependence on imported raw materials. With its agricultural infrastructure, Eastern Germany has a bountiful source of biomass for generating bioenergy. In Brandenburg alone, some 40 biogas installations with an output of 25 megawatts are currently in operation. "Large-scale biogas installations, like the one here in Jüterbog, harmonise well with the agricultural infrastructure in Eastern Germany. Large farmland areas and high cattle breeding will ensure a long-term supply of input feedstocks to our installations – and good returns for our investors“, says Nikolaus Krane.