Orsted inaugurates biomass-fired Asnæs Power Station

Danish power company Orsted announced on Aug. 21 the inauguration of its biomass-fired Asnæs Power Station. The facility will provide renewable energy to Novozymes, Novo Nordisk and district heating customers in Kalundborg.

Orsted (formerly DONG Energy) kicked off conversion of the formerly coal-fired power station in 2017. The Asnæs facility began commissioning in mid-2019 and began generating power in November 2019 using wood chips as fuel

The converted facility has an electric production capacity of 25 megawatts (MW) and a district heating and process team production capacity of 129 MW. Orsted said the conversion from coal to wood chips at Asnæs Power Station will result in an annual reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 800,000 metric tons.

Novozymes is sourcing steam from the newly converted facility. The company said it will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 31,000 metric tons annually by sourcing renewably produced steam from the Asnæs plant.

"Today, we complete a circle of investments into energy efficiency and sustainability,” said Thomas Videbæk, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Novozymes. “Now, our entire supply of electricity, heat and steam in Kalundborg comes from other sources than coal and oil.”