Thermal Energy Produced from Discarded Christmas Trees

Up to 40 tons of pine trees discarded after the Christmas holidays may be burned in the coming period at the thermal power plant (in Pécs, southern Hungary), which operates with two biomass-fired units, the owner Veolia Energia Magyarország Plc. has announced.

The statement sent to MTI said that the Pécs thermal power plant, which is based purely on biomass and provides district heating for 31,500 homes and 480 public institutions, is continuing a tradition of more than 15 years by recycling Christmas trees that become surplus.

Pine trees discarded from households and collected by the end of January are chopped up at the plant using mobile shredders, and then sent to the bulk biomass unit, where they are mixed with other fuels, including agricultural by-products and forestry wood chips, due to their high resin content, to make the most efficient use of the wood and save boilers, they said.

They said that the reuse of tens of thousands of Christmas trees collected from across the city can generate a significant amount of clean, green energy, with around 35-40 tons of pine waste collected enough to heat 85 average-sized homes for a month.

Veolia Energia Magyarország Plc. supplies energy to altogether over 60 state and municipal institutions, 66 health and social institutions and 57 industrial plants, and as a district heating provider it provides heating for more than 270,000 district-heated homes and public buildings in 14 towns and cities. The electricity sold by the group annually covers the annual consumption of 623,000 inhabitants, according to the information.