Highly caloric she is crushed and used as fuel

In the halls of negotiations of the centre of the United Nations in Poznan, discussions on the future of the Kyoto Protocol are closely linked to European energy-climate package debates and the imputations on the willingness of the new American President. But, in the street, people have any other concern: will today weather temperatures lower, requiring to walk at bottom heating Will the purchase of CO2 quotas increase the price Knowing that this position represents 25 of the budget of the Poles, the subject is sensitive. Legacy of the Soviet era, Poznan has a network of more than 400 kilometres long heating. Inside the circulating hot water arrives at the foot of the buildings and supplies more than half of the inhabitants. In 2002 and 2004, the Treasury and the municipality of Gdansk successively sold heat production plant and distribution network to French Dalkia.

Black smoke

On the ground, the subsidiary of Veolia Environnement has faced to... a decrease in the consumption of heating of 25-30. Housing cooperatives, owners of the buildings began to replace the Windows of homes and the inhabitants were gradually better mastered their drinks. In this situation, and avoid its plant is oversized, the Group has developed the production of electricity from steam, electricity sold to the neighbouring industrial plant. Then, a partnership with a local bank allowed in two areas of the city to offer newly connected buildings of reduced credits to finance the installation of internal heating in buildings.

In the Lazard district, whose buildings are in the majority of the beginning of the century, the apartments were heated by of old stoves coal individual or dilapidated gas boilers. The Group finance the arrival of the network at the foot of the building, but must be averaged to invest EUR 1,500 per dwelling to modernize the Interior and make hot water. In these areas, the replacement of the old systems to first to eliminate the black smoke knowing that the plant that feeds the city has been modernised to comply with European rules on dust. Ash (200,000 tonnes each year averaging about 800,000 tons of coal consumed) are released into the lagoon but sold to the cement industry which uses it for the manufacture of cement.

The Poland member of the EU, the plant has seen its CO2 quota increase from 1.8 to 1.4 million tonnes between 2007 and 2008. At 20 euros CO2 quota some months, we understand that the group is close to the negotiations. But at the same time, he could participate in the mechanism of "green certificates" implemented by the Government. They allow the industry to sell electricity generated from two times more expensive plant residual steam. Today, the time is the use of biomass in an attempt to further reduce CO2 emissions. The group, using 100 of coal until 2006, the most carbon energy (1 tonne of coal 1.2 tonne of CO2), began by buy residues from sawmills in 2007. He burned in 60,000 tonnes this year, mixed with coal and is preparing to invest in a boiler capable of using 100 biomass. Needs would then pass to 200,000 tonnes. In this perspective, Dalkia secures supplies and began to become a farmer to plant fast-growing. The Group has leased more than 1,300 hectares of land to plant of miscanthus, the famous grass elephant from Asia, but that adapts to the local climate. Highly caloric, she is crushed and used as fuel. What meet the European requirements and avoid buying CO2 quotas.