Foundation stone laid for biomass CHP plant in Chemnitz
Construction work on the site has been under way since August 2026. Commissioning is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027. The CHP plant has a rated boiler capacity of 31 MW. Depending on the load case, the plant supplies between 16 and 18 MW of heat to the Chemnitz district heating network and up to 7 MW of electricity, which is fed into the public grid.
Heat as a Service for 20 years
HoSt builds, owns and operates the plant under a 20 year heat supply agreement (Heat as a Service) with eins energie in sachsen GmbH & Co. KG (eins). As investor and operator, HoSt is responsible for the project throughout its entire lifetime, from construction and commissioning through to many years of operation. This places responsibility for supply, plant performance, and heat price with a single partner.
Regional fuel for district heating
Once in operation, the plant will cover around ten percent of the district heating demand in Chemnitz from regional, renewable sources. The fuel is untreated wood, which is classified as renewable under German law. Around 90 percent of the fuel is sourced within a radius of approximately 250 kilometres, from forest residues, landscape maintenance material and roadside tree cuttings.
Emissions well below the limits
A high environmental standard is a central part of the project. The plant is equipped with extensive flue gas cleaning and operates with emission values below the statutory requirements. NOx emissions remain below 60 mg/Nm³, compared with the statutory limit of 200 mg/Nm³. Emissions are monitored continuously in accordance with the 44th BImSchV (German Federal Immission Control Ordinance).
Roland Warner, Chairman of the eins Management Board: “We are very pleased to have found a competent and experienced partner in HoSt, who will implement this project on site and from whom we will receive heat for our district heating network under a contracting agreement.”
Alexander Teichert, Commercial Managing Director of eins, adds: “By using biomass that complies with the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), the heat supply for our customers will become gradually less dependent on fossil fuels, which benefits both security of supply and price stability.”
