Project team from Koehler Innovation & Technology significantly involved in structural conversion of power plant in Greiz

The Koehler Group successfully converts its power plant at the Koehler Paper site in Greiz (Germany) from lignite fuel to using fine wood fraction. The experts from Koehler Renewable Energy, which is part of the Koehler Group, have succeeded in developing a technique that makes it possible for a type of biomass to be used as fuel in the existing coal-fired power plant in a completely new way. This is a first in the market and opens up countless new opportunities for the decarbonization of combined heat and power plants. Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thuringia’s Minister for the Economy, Science, and Digital Society visited the site for the inaugural test run of the converted power plant.

The conversion process for the Koehler power plant in Greiz has been given extensive support from the experts at Koehler Renewable Energy. The structural implementation was carried out by a project team from Koehler Innovation & Technology in cooperation with local experts on site at the Koehler Paper site in Greiz. Udo Hollbach, managing director of the Koehler Paper site in Greiz, is delighted about the conversion: “Switching from lignite to fine wood fraction will allow us to save more than 24,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year at the Greiz plant.” The Koehler Group has invested around EUR 8 million for the entire plant conversion project.

Patrick Haß (Koehler Paper, Power Plant Manager, Greiz site), Marco Haas (Koehler Innovation & Technology), Dr. Stefan Karrer (Koehler Group, COO), Udo Hollbach (Koehler Paper Greiz, Managing Director), Wolfgang Tiefensee (Minister for Economics, Science and Digital Society, Thuringia) and Marco Wolber (Koehler Innovation & Technology) press the start button for the start of trial operation of the converted power plant, which is now being operated with fine wood fraction as fuel (see photo, source: Wolfram Schubert).