Opatovice power plant obtains final permit for waste-to-energy facility

Elektrárna Opatovice has obtained a final building permit for the construction of a waste-to-energy facility. It is to be located in the cadastral area of Čeperka municipality. Most of the appeals filed were dismissed, the power plant's spokesperson Hana Počtová told the Czech News Agency. Čeperka has long opposed the project, which was also rejected by residents in a referendum.

"The appeal proceedings concerning the joint zoning and building permit for the ZEVO Opatovice project (a waste-to-energy facility) have been concluded by a decision of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The ministry dismissed most of the appeals filed and upheld the conclusions of the decision by the Transport and Energy Construction Authority," Počtová said.

The project has all the necessary decisions in place for preparation and the start of construction. The power plant is selecting a general contractor through a tender and is discussing commercial and technical matters. Initial preparatory work not dependent on the selection of the main contractor has already begun. The current schedule envisages completion of the project and handover of the facility in 2029 to 2030.

"We expect commissioning to begin in the final phase of project implementation, so that all technical, operational and legislative requirements are met. The aim is, of course, to complete the project as soon as possible and within the deadlines set by the Modernisation Fund support provider," Počtová said.

The project received support from the Modernisation Fund's HEAT programme covering approximately 60 percent of investment costs and must be completed by 2030 at the latest. Costs are estimated at around CZK 7 billion.

The facility is expected to process 150,000 tonnes of waste annually, equivalent to 480 tonnes a day. The heat generated would be distributed through the power plant's district heating system. The plant supplies heat to Pardubice, Hradec Králové, Chrudim and other towns and municipalities. The plan envisages annual heat production of 615 terajoules (TJ), of which 17 TJ is used internally, and annual electricity generation of 78.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Internal consumption amounts to 15.7 GWh.

People in neighbouring Opatovice nad Labem rejected construction of the facility in a 2006 referendum. The power plant therefore moved the project to another part of its site in the cadastral area of Čeperka, where residents also opposed it in a 2022 plebiscite. According to deputy mayor Zdeněk Bouza, the municipal leadership has not yet decided whether to challenge the building permit in court. Hradec Králové, the municipality of Opatovice nad Labem, neighbouring Vysoká nad Labem, and the Sdružení pro Opatovice a Pohřebačku and Vysoká associations also appealed against the facility.

Elektrárna Opatovice aims to stop using lignite as a fuel entirely by the end of 2030. It is to be replaced by natural gas, biomass and the incineration of municipal waste, possibly supplemented by the installation of photovoltaic panels. Decarbonisation will involve several phases that will overlap in time, with coal-fired boilers being gradually shut down. The power plant has received around CZK 3.5 billion from the Modernisation Fund for gas conversion.