Environmental impact
The switch from coal to gas and biomass for the plant's fuel source has had a positive impact on air quality in Pécs and the surrounding region. The slurry (ash) ponds created when coal was being processed at the site have been drained and planted with trees to become a protected reserve. Ash and carbon deposits left over from the earlier coal-based operations have been transferred to reservoirs that have now been recultivated and replanted. The area has become a highly important green resource. The combustion gases are treated using an electrostatic precipitator, and recovered ash is sold as fertilizer to farms.
City center of Pécs, european cultural capital in 2010
Video interview of Attila Braun, Development Director, on the environmental impact of the biomass boiler:
Pécs is aiming to become a green city. Since the biomass plant has been commissioned, sulphur dioxide emissions have been reduced by 80%. By renovating the units and adding new electrostatic precipitators, we have reduced particulate emissions to 30 milligrams per cubic metre, while nitrogen oxide emissions are now down to 200 milligrams per cubic metre. Thanks to the biomass unit, the city enjoys a cleaner environment, and air quality has measurably improved. The discontinuation of mining operations, with their attendant slag deposits, has had a tangible impact on environmental quality, notably in terms of lower CO2 emissions.
Attila Braun, Development Director
Diagram that compares coal-fired and biomass-fired emissions