Bioenergy Orth on the Danube

The biogas plant in Orth a. d. Donau a few kilometres to the east of Vienna was constructed and commissioned at the end of 2007. Bioenergie Orth a. d. Donau GmbH was founded by a cooperative of 22 local farmers (49 %) and RENERGIE Raiffeisen Managementgesellschaft für erneuerbare Energie GmbH (51 %). Based on this strong and reliable partnership, the project was implemented successfully. The total investment volume for the biogas plant and the district heating pipeline amounted to about 5 million Euros.

The biogas plant in Orth a.d. Donau produces some 8 million kWh of eco-power (1 MW nominal power) and about 8.5 million kWh of heat via digestion of regenerative raw materials. The feedstock is silage from maize, green-cut grain, sorghum and Sudan grass. The feedstock is produced entirely by the local farmers. The long-term supply of feedstock is safeguarded by supply agreements. The plant is also operated by the local farmers. Part of the heat is used to heat the plant and a considerable amount of heat is fed into the existing district heating network in Orth a.d. Donau, which was meanwhile expanded.