Slovenian Cos RTH, Istrabenz Gorenje To Set up Wood Biomass JV

Slovenian coal mine Rudnik Trbovlje Hrastnik and local company Istrabenz Gorenje said they will set up a 50/50 joint venture that will build a centre for the collection and processing of wood biomass.

The joint venture, Vitales RTH, will be based in Trbovlje and will have a share capital of 50,000 euro ($61,800), the co-founders said in a joint statement made available to SeeNews on Monday.

Vitales RTH should build the biomass centre in the Zasavje region next year. The centre's production capacity during the initial phase is estimated to reach 100,000 tonnes of wood chips and 20,000 tonnes of wood briquettes. In subsequent phases, production will be upgraded to include wood pellets as well.

The project is vital for the development of the power industry in the Zasavje region, which aims to focus on renewable energy sources in the future, the statement said.

Istrabenz Gorenje, part of the power division of Slovenia's Istrabenz Holding, will mainly contribute technical know-how and experience in biomass production, as well as knowledge in the area of procurement of raw materials and sales.

RTH will provide the land on which the collection centrewill be built, along with the infrastructure and the necessary permits, and will assist with applications for state subsidies for the structural adjustment of the mining industry where possible.

Istrabenz Gorenje has two subsidiaries producing wood biomass in Bosnia. Vitales Bihac is mainly involved in the production of wood briquettes, while Vitales Nova Bila produces wood pellets.

The Istrabenz Gorenje group is mainly active in the production, distribution and trading in electricity as well as in innovative solutions in the fields of sustainable energy, efficient use of energy and the consumption of renewable energy sources.

($=0.8088 euro)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!