E-farm for West Flanders

Thenergo has announced plans to develop a 3.2MW CHP agri-waste to electricity facility, or E-farm, in West Flanders, Belgium.

Thenergo claims the E-farm will be operational for up to 8,000 hours per year, generating annually 24,000MWh of clean power, which is enough to supply electricity for up to 6,000 households.

Construction of the E-farm will begin in October 2007 and is expected to be operational within 15 months. The development and building costs represent an investment of €20 million. Thenergo will hold a 75% stake in the project, which is expected to generate average annual sales of €6 million.

The facility will generate power from animal manure (60,000T pa) and food processing waste (60,000T pa). Long-term contracts with local suppliers will ensure delivery over the 20-year life of the plant.

Thenergo's CEO Kurt Alen said: ‘E-farms bring into focus all the components of Thenergo's business model. From procurement, concept engineering and operational management to electricity trading, certificate and by-product sales, Thenergo will draw on its industry knowledge and engineering expertise, enabling it to extract full value from every step of the chain.’