Combining forces to use waste heat

Combining forces to use waste heat at Gratkorn Mill

Gratkorn Mill in Austria has partnered with local energy provider Bioenergie Wärmeservice GmbH (BWS) to supply industrial waste heat generated by the mill’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant to Energie Graz for the next 20 years.

The excess heat is transported to the city of Graz via nine kilometres of underground pipes and at a temperature of 120°C. It’s then fed into the city’s existing heating system and is being used to keep 18,000 households Graz warm. As a result of this initiative, the mill’s total CO2 emissions are being reduced by 20,000 tons per year.

Climate change continues to impact businesses and reshape societies

We operate CHP plants in many of our mills. These plants not only generate electricity but also heat, which is used at the paper machines to dry the paper. Such efficiencies mean our CHP units are twice as energy-efficient as conventional power plants.