OREANDA-NEWS. January 24, 2012. Lietuvos energija  AB signed an agreement with Danish consultancy company Ramboll Danmark regarding the preparation of pre-project and feasibility studies. These studies will examine alternatives for the production of heat at the Lithuanian Power Plant, as well as possibilities for expanding the use of biomass to produce heat in the Elektrenai region.

“We are pleased that the contractor selection process went smoothly and quickly. We hope that the consultants’ lengthy experience in the energy sector will help us find the most effective solutions in reducing dependency on increasingly expensive imported gas, and in ensuring competitive heating prices for residents of the Elektrenai region,” said Lietuvos energija CEO Dalius Misiunas.

It is planned that the contractor will prepare both studies over a period of four months. A detailed implementation plan will be prepared for the best proposed alternative for the production of heat; financial support documents will be drawn up, as will documentation for the general contractor tender, which should be launched in June, 2012. It is expected that once the preparatory works are completed, a general contractor will be selected by the end of the year, and in 2013, a part of the new heat production unit, which will produce heat at competitive prices for residents and companies in the Elektrenai region, will be built and put into operation.  New technologies will replace the current system, which runs on imported fossil fuel.

In developing this project, and in view of the biomass resources in the region as well as possibilities for the development thereof, the municipality of Elektrenai will be looked upon for close cooperation. Once this project is carried out, not only will the reliability of heat production increase and carbon dioxide emission and heating price fluctuations decrease, but new opportunities for businesses in the Elektrenai region to develop processing and supply of renewable energy resources will emerge as well. Lietuvos energija is currently the leading producer of renewable electricity in Lithuania. Its subdivision, the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant, generates nearly half of the sustainable electricity that is produced in Lithuania.