With its total capacity of 30 MW, our biomass cogeneration plant in Brunsbüttel is one of the largest cogeneration plants in Germany, which is operating by using scrap material from landscaping as fuel for combustion, solely. 

100% landscaping material
Around 100,000 tonnes of scrap material are burned annually. Neither fresh, nor forest wood is used in Brunsbüttel. The fuel solely comes from landscaping, for example from lopping trees along streets and from shrub and hedge bank management. Thus the material has a relatively high water content.

Due to the strong heterogeneity of the material, caused by varied amounts of greenery and the impurity levels of sand or soil contained, and its relatively high water content, the material is difficult to process in ordinary biomass plants. Traditional power plant technology cannot cope with fuels with more than 50% water content, or only with large efficiency losses.

Innovative boiler and conveyor technology
Through the use of an innovative conveyor technology and through adjustments in the boiler technology it was possible to succeed in realising a power plant project of this size without having to dry wet fuel. 

60 million kilowatt hours of electricity
In Brunsbüttel around 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity are generated every year - with an installed generator output of around 7.5 MW. The process steam is supplied to the neighbouring bitumen plant.

After almost two years of construction, the biomass cogeneration power plant started operations in September 2008 and its start was celebrated in October. The power plant has brought total investments of around Euro 24 million into the region and has created nine new jobs.

100.000 tonnes of CO₂ saving
Compared to coal, 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ saving are realised. Additionally, the TOTAL bitumen plant substitutes a considerable amount of fossil fuels with the process steam produced, which was formerly required for steam generation.

Investment for the region
After almost two years of construction, the biomass cogeneration power plant started operations in September 2008. The power plant has brought total investments of around Euro 24 million into the region and has created ten new jobs.

One of BEBC's shareholder is Stadtwerke Flensburg – a typical multipurpose utility company with dominant electricity and local heating branches. For these branches, production has been continuing for more than 37 years in their own power plant, energy-efficiently and environmentally friendly, through heat and power cogeneration. The annual production totals are more than one terawatt hour of heat and half a terawatt hour of electricity.

Read more about locally produced bioenergy.