Press release

The ULg is this week beginning the production of heat and electricity for the Sart Tilman campus on the basis of its new cogeneration biomass installation, currently the largest in Wallonia in terms of systems aimed at public building use.

With this investment of 9 million Euros, the ULg is taking a significant step towards the consumption of renewable energy. The biomass cogeneration system has been integrated into the current thermal power plant and will contribute to feeding a heating network of 24km serving 60 buildings on the Sart Tilman campus, including the Liège University Hospital Centre (CHU). The fuel being burned there is in the form of wood pellets, stored in two silos of 200m³. The quantity of fuel burned annually is estimated to be 16,300 tons of pellets.

Biomass cogeneration will enable the ULg to considerably reduce its CO2 emissions: in the region of 10,000 tons per year compared to the 15,000 emitted on average by the thermal power plant, according to the European CO2 quota exchange calculation method (the EU ETS system); in the region of 5,200 tons annually against the 16,850 emitted at the Sart Tilman campus according to the carbon footprint calculation method (all the heating and energy systems combined).

In conclusion: biomass cogeneration allows a saving of 2/3 of the thermal power plant’s CO2 emissions and 1/3 of the CO2 emissions concerning all energy consumption at the Sart Tilman estate (electricity, the thermal power plant’s heat, and independent boiler plants).

Developed by the Cofély business company, this biomass cogeneration has a nominal maximum electric horsepower of 3.25MW and a thermal power of 7MW. The quantity of heat produced annually is estimated at 42.378 MWh PCI, in other words 70% of the Sart Tilman’s heating needs (ULg and CHU). The production of electricity is estimated to be of an order of 10,321 MWh, or 30% of electricity needs (ULg only).

This biomass cogeneration benefits from the support of Wallonia through green certificates (around 19,000 per year).

Video

A report on ULg.TV

Photos © ULg - Michel Houet 2011