Cows provide energy for Frisian villages

Arnhem, 13th November 2009 - Today sees the opening of the most sustainable thermal power plant in the Netherlands by Mayor of Leeuwarden Ferd Crone and Bert de Vries, Director of Energy and Sustainability at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The plant will provide around 1,100 homes in the De Zuidlanden area (Leeuwarden) with sustainable electricity and heat.

This thermal power plant is a classic example of what Essent calls ‘neighbourhood energy’: using sources in the immediate surroundings to generate energy for local use. Because of the sustainable appearance of the building, inspired by a typical Frisian farmhouse, the power plant has been named Eco Zathe.

CO2 reduction

The municipality of Leeuwarden's goal to, over time, no longer be dependent on fossil fuels gave rise to the construction of this thermal power plant. For the De Zuidlanden area, the municipality laid down the requirement of a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions. In cooperation with GEM De Zuidlanden and Nij Bosma Zathe, Essent developed an innovative sustainable energy system for De Zuidlanden that contributes significantly to the municipality of Leeuwarden's energy goal.

Biogas

The fuel (biogas) for the new thermal power plant is supplied via a special 5.5-km biogas pipeline from the Nij Bosma Zathe experimental dairy cattle farm. At this farm the manure from the cows is fermented, together with, for example, grass and residual flows from the food industry. Biogas is released during the fermentation process and this is used as fuel for the gas turbines of the thermal power plant. The heat generated by the power plant is supplied through a heat distribution network to the homes and organisations in the area. The result is a sustainable local solution for local energy demand.

Leeuwarden Heating Ring Main

The Municipality, Essent, Wetterskip Fryslân, industry and various consumers of heat are working with the consultancy company E-kwadraat on follow-up plans for sustainable heating and the use of residual heat. The ultimate goal is to have a ring main that links heat sources and consumers to one another. For the initial phase of the ring main, jointly with the business community, Essent has submitted a request to the UKP (Unique Opportunities Programme) grant scheme. Leeuwarden's subsoil is favourable for the extraction of terrestrial heat and geothermal energy will play a significant role in the follow-up plans. Biomass power plants are also included in the plans.

Published: 13 November 2009