First Biogas Plant for Electricity and Heat Generation by Enovos Luxembourg S.A. in Belgium

STRASSEN, Luxembourg, October 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Enovos Luxembourg is successfully expanding its activities in the field of renewable energy and takes a share in the Biopower Tongeren N.V.

On Monday, 17 October 2011 at the industrial estate "Tongeren Oost" (Tongeren, Belgium), Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and its project partners NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA celebrated the first stone ceremony of the largest biogas plant in Limburg. In presence of a.o. Jean Lucius, CEO Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and the Mayor of the City of Tongeren, Patrick Dewael, a tree was planted to symbolise that this biogas plant will be 100% CO₂ neutral.

In August 2011, Enovos Luxembourg S.A. signed the contracts to acquire a 24.9% stake in the biogas plant. For Enovos Luxembourg, this represents the first investment in renewable energy in Belgium.

Located in a predominantly agricultural area, the biogas plant will mainly ferment corn that is grown in close cooperation with local farmers within a 15 km radius. The resulting environmentally friendly biogas is converted into electricity via a motor and is then fed into the local power grid. The heat resulting from the process is used to dry the fermentation substrates. These substrates are returned to the fields as low-odour, high-quality fertilisers, thus producing a closed cycle.

"With a capacity of approximately 3 MW, the amount of electricity generated corresponds to the annual consumption of 6,500 households and an annual CO₂ reduction of 10,000 tonnes, thus achieving an important step towards further expanding renewable energies," says Daniel Christnach, Head of Renewable Energies & Cogeneration at Enovos Luxembourg. In cooperation with the project partners, the plant's capacity can optionally be subsequently expanded to 5.6 MW. The building licence for this already exists.

Jean Lucius, CEO Enovos Luxembourg highlights: "The participation in the Biopower Tongeren N.V. emphasises Enovos' consistent commitment to the field of renewable energy and we are pleased that with this first project we were able to assert this message on the Belgium market."

The plant start-up will take place in April 2012.

The project developers NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA are involved as additional partners in the project company, Biopower Tongeren N.V., each with 47.6% and 27.5% respectively.

Enovos Luxembourg S.A. - Natural gas, electricity and services

As energy supplier on the Luxembourg, German, French and - since 2011 - Belgian energy market, Enovos Luxembourg's mission consists of generating electricity, natural gas and renewable energy for municipal providers, industries and private households and in delivering it to them.

100% owned by Enovos International S.A., Enovos Luxembourg is a part of the Enovos-International-group.

They are subordinate to Enovos International S.A., which is an operative holding company with its headquarters in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In addition to supplying energy, the parent company also acts as an umbrella for the management of the grid operator, Creos Luxembourg S.A.

Expressed in numbers, the Enovos-International-group currently consists of more than 1,300 employees, more than 280,000 points of delivery, over 8,700 km of electric lines and more than 3,600 km of gas pipelines.

In addition to its traditional core business, the company is expanding its activities mostly in the field of renewable energy.

25.44% of Enovos International S.A. belongs to Luxembourg State, 10.01% belongs to the state-owned investment bank SNCI and 8.00% belongs to the City of Luxembourg. ArcelorMittal owns 23.48%, RWE owns 18.36%, E.ON has 10.00% and Electrabel holds 4.71%.

For more information, please visit: http://www.enovos.eu