“Especially in the Baltic states, there has been a lot of catching up to do in the biomass segment in recent years. In this region, we have already successfully installed seven combined heat and power plants with a nominal output between 4 and 10 MWel. In Scandinavia, the situation is somewhat different. The paper and pulp industry in the Nordic countries is strong at a local level and, as a result, there is greater competition for sawmill by-products and biomass. However, sustainably generated heat and energy are also needed there and that’s why we were able to add many large timber companies to our list of references,” managing director Josef Urbas tells us about the market situation in the north.
Quality as convincing argument
Urbas also received several orders from Lithuanian company Granuul Invest © Urbas
In recent years, five plants have been built for the Baltic pellet giant Graanul alone, four of which are biomass power plants. When you ask Urbas about customers in Finland, Sweden or Norway, you get a much longer list: “We have delivered systems and plants to almost all of the large timber groups in Scandinavia. This is an acknowledgment of our successful work over the years. Today, many customers want turnkey systems. We are able to deliver these in the required quality, too, because we take care of everything, starting with the concrete foundation. We manufacture almost all parts and components in Carinthia and deliver them to the customer with the highest possible degree of prefabrication – sometimes even with our own fleet. As a result, on-site installation is usually quick and uncomplicated, and the boilers can be put into operation shortly after installation.”
Invaluable experience
This plant was delivered to FM Timber in Finland © Urbas
Thanks to the large number of different projects involving process heat and cogeneration plants, Urbas has already become somewhat of a household name and knows what is important in Scandinavia, even in the most adverse climatic conditions. “Ensuring full performance even at extreme temperatures of -45 °C is a challenge. In such projects, we were able to gain important experience that we incorporate into the technology and construction of all our plants and systems,” the experienced entrepreneur explains in an interview with the Holzkurier.
