Using the Energy Decentral within the framework of the Eurotier trade fair in Hanover, Germany, as a communication platform, the German biogas plant manufacturer WELTEC BIOPOWER is happy to welcome large numbers of visitors from abroad. No wonder: Meanwhile, the company boasts references in 25 countries.

Commenting on the company's presence at the exhibition in Hanover, Jens Albartus, Director of WELTEC BIOPOWER, says:"The keen interest that Greek trade fair visitors show in our plant technology also reflects our high international visibility.?

The truth of this statement is underlined by the seven stainless-steel biogas plants with a total capacity of 2.75 MW that WELTEC has set up in Greece so far.

Currently, WELTEC BIOPOWER is planning and rolling out four additional biogas projects together with its distribution partner Tetoros Machinery S.A. The order pipeline contains two 500-kW plants, one 300-kW plant, one 250-kW plant and a 250-kW-CHP project in Greece.

One of the 500-kW plants is located in Ptolemaida in the region of West Macedonia. The scope comprises a digester with a capacity of 4,438 m3, several mixers and pumps for three existing slurry stores, a macerator and a 500-kW CHP plant. Cattle manure and abattoir waste will be used as substrates.

The project location is a region that is considered the Greek energy centre. No less than 70 percent of the Greek power is generated in this province, though still primarily from brown coal.

Nevertheless, the biogas plant has the potential for becoming something like a multiplier of renewable energies in a centre of conventional power generation. The plant, which is operated by an entrepreneur who runs his own slaughterhouse, is situated in the immediate vicinity of ignite mining areas and coal power plants.

This contrast is symbolic of the change that the energy sector is undergoing in this EU member state. Three quarters of the Greek power production still come from coal, oil and gas. Meanwhile, the Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change is pursuing a change, which, however, has slowed down a bit due to the economic situation.

Nevertheless, Greek?s commitment to provide about 20 percent of the gross energy consumption from regenerative sources by 2020 within the scope of the 20-20-20 goals of the EU is still valid. In this context, biomass plants account for a share of 350 MW.

For this purpose, there is plenty of input material for biogas plants: A lot of agricultural waste in Greece remains unused. As in Ptolemaida, livestock husbandry takes place at an industrial scale throughout the country. "This is one of the reasons why decentralised energy production methods such as biogas technology are especially suitable for Greece, and plants like the one in West Macedonia are setting a precedent?, says John Tetoros, sales partner of WELTEC BIOPOWER.