Fortum plans to build 3rd power plant in Lithuania for up to 200 mln euro
VILNIUS. Jan 17 (Interfax) - Lithuania's Fortum Heat Lietuva, controlled by Finnish energy concern Fortum, plans to build a combined heat and power plant (CHPP) for 500-700 million litai (around 145-200 million euro) in Vilnius.
"Today we officially announced in print that we are starting to develop this project. The power plant should be in the industrial district," Fortum Heat Lietuva chief Vitalijus Zuta told BNS.
Fortum Heat Lietuva is considering building a CHPP with heat capacity between 60 and 150 megawatts and electricity capacity between 30 and 50 MW. The specific technical terms will be determined after research is performed, he said.
"If there aren't any bureaucratic obstacles, a construction permit should be received at the end of 2014. Then, somewhere around the end of 2016, we can start generating heat and delivering energy," Zuta said.
Last spring, Fortum Heat Lietuva and Lithuanian energy group Lietuvos energija signed a protocol of intentions to erect a 200-million-euro CHPP in Vilnius.
Also, in November the Lithuanian Energy Ministry approved Fortum Heat Lietuva's plan for a 500-million-litai CHPP in Kaunas with a 60-MW heat capacity and a 32-MW electricity capacity. The company plans to start building the plant in the Kaunas free economic zone at the end of 2014 and to commission it at the end of 2016.
Fortum is currently testing a CHPP (50 MW of heat and 20 MW of power) that it constructed in Klaipeda. Investments in the construction totaled 450 million litai.
Both of the power plants - the one in Klaipeda and the one in Kaunas - will operate on biofuel.
The litas is pegged to the euro at 3.4528 litas/euro.
