Kosovo gets its first biomass heating plant

The Municipality of Gjakova/Đakovica becomes the first municipality in Kosovo with a biomass heating plant. The plant, built with funding from the European Union, in addition to improving the city heating system, will have a positive impact on the environment, as it will enable better air quality in the city, more efficient operation of the district heating system, and will provide sustainable heating for the citizens of Gjakova/Đakovica.

The district heating plant in Gjakova has since its establishment in 1980 operated with two boilers (38 MW each), generating thermal energy by burning heavy oil, a process that is extremely harmful to the environment and financially costly. In addition, outdated heavy oil boilers, in very poor condition of maintenance, were not able to supply citizens with thermal energy for more than 6 hours a day. Consequently, the EU financed the construction of a biomass heating plant in Gjakova/Đakovica, with a total cost of 15 million Euro.

Present at the inauguration ceremony was the EU Ambassador to Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, who in his speech said that this is one of the largest EU projects in Kosovo, with a great impact on the lives of people living in this area.

“About 40% of citizens in Gjakova will benefit from high quality heating, and heating with lower pollution. This is the first plant in Kosovo with highly efficient biomass-based technology. “The new technology has replaced an old plant with heavy oil boilers, which were not only very expensive to operate, but also very polluting”, said Ambassador Szunyog.    

Meanwhile, Albana Skivjani, acting CEO of the Gjakova/Đakovica District Heating Plant, said that now the citizens will have a 24-hour heat supply, and the economic losses will be significantly reduced. “The works performed here are evidence of a qualitative investment, with an advanced technology which will work for decades with high efficiency, while a strong bridge of cooperation has been built between us. This project is singular and one of its kind, not only in Kosovo but also in the region”, – declared Skivjani.

The plant with a modern biomass heating technology, built with European Union funding, is expected to reduce pollution in the municipality of Gjakova/Đakovica by up to 90%, and annual heating costs by up to 50%.