Study of biomass power plants in the Waldviertel

Regional biomass cogeneration plants are an important economic factor for rural regions. In a comprehensive analysis, the Austrian Energy Agency examined three example plants in the Waldviertel region. On the one hand, the economic, ecological and social significance of the plants for the region was considered on the basis of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of company activities and, on the other hand, economic indicators such as value added and employment in full-time equivalents, as well as economic costs due to the promotion of renewable energy production were collected.

The observation period from 2006 to 2048 takes into account planned investments in efficiency improvements and increased use of waste heat as well as the technical service life of the plants.

307 million euros in added value

The comprehensive economic analysis of expenses for buildings, systems and services resulted in added value of 307 million euros and a further 32 full-time equivalents (e.g. through maintenance, repairs and investments) for the Austrian economy. An additional 251 full-time equivalents are secured in the fuel supply chain. This means that over 300 regional jobs are directly and indirectly linked to the three biomass power plants. However, the number of jobs created can temporarily increase to more than 500 full-time equivalents per year in the course of expansion investments or comprehensive plant renewal. Expenses for services purchased from abroad were not included in the analysis. In contrast, the economic costs amount to around EUR 280 million and include the volume of support already purchased for the feed-in of green electricity and a successor regulation with long-term decreasing feed-in tariffs. The reduced support for green electricity production can be partially compensated for by increased waste heat utilization and a slight increase in the market price for electrical energy - provided that the appropriate framework conditions are created. In the long term, public investment in sustainable energy production from biomass not only has a positive impact on the regional environment, but also outweighs the economic benefits for Lower Austria and Austria as a whole.

Press release on the project

NAWARO ENERGIE Betrieb GmbH

Client	NAWARO ENERGIE Betrieb GmbH
Project management	Lorenz Strimitzer
Project team	Martin Höher
Project duration	October 2019 to July 2020