OREANDA-NEWS. January 24, 2012. Lietuvos energija, in an effort to find alternatives for increasingly expensive imported gas, will prepare a feasibility study to evaluate the possibility of expanding the use of biomass to produce heat in the Elektrenai region. This move would ensure better heating prices for the local community, less environmental pollution, and new opportunities for businesses to develop processing and supply of renewable energy resources.

“Since the cost of gas has lately been at a record high, we are looking for alternative fuel sources for the Lithuanian Power Plant, which currently uses gas imported from Russia. One of the primary goals of introducing new technological solutions for the production of heat is to offer competitive heating prices for residents of the Elektrenai region,” said Lietuvos energija AB CEO Dalius Misiunas.

Production technology using renewable energy resources for the generation of heat would replace the current system of using imported gas to produce heat at the Lithuanian Power Plant. Once the feasibility study is carried out, a concrete technical solution and detailed implementation plan will be proposed. According to CEO Dalius Misiunas, the municipality of Elektrenai will be looked upon for close cooperation, in view of the biomass resources in the area, and the opportunities for the development thereof. The development of biomass in the Elektrenai region would be a boost for biomass processing and supply companies, and would also create workplaces for local residents.

The company plans that heat produced from renewable resources will reach residents of the Elektrenai region by the end of 2013, when a part of the new heat production unit is put into operation. 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.