Ence – Energía y Celulosa has been committed for years to a sustainable industry model in its two business areas, cellulose manufacturing and renewable energy generation. The company’s activity represents an example of a contribution to the circular economy that is worth highlighting, coinciding with the celebration of World Energy Efficiency Day.
In the case of the company’s two cellulose biofactories, located in Pontevedra and Navia, certified wood, a natural and sustainable raw material, is the starting point of a productive process in which paper pulp is manufactured, with the that recyclable products are made, capable of replacing plastic and other non-recyclable materials.
In addition, in its bio-factories Ence generates renewable energy using forest biomass, that is, by-products from wood that are not used for cellulose production: bark and lignin. The latter, lignin, is a component of wood that constitutes an excellent renewable and natural biofuel. In this way, both plants are practically capable of self-sufficiency, while contributing to reducing energy intensity and carbon footprint.
In the case of the Navia plant, in the past year 2019, it has come to produce twice the energy it consumes, generating more than 519 GWh of energy through a back pressure turbine and a condensation turbine, with an installed power of 77 MW. The consumption, in 2019, was 254 GWh.
Biomass generation is a renewable electricity production technology. In this sense, the company’s energy management contributes to carbon sequestration, the fight against climate change and, ultimately, to move forward on the path of the transition towards a more sustainable economy and society.
The fact that an industry like the one Ence represents in Navia is capable of producing twice the energy it consumes from a renewable source is an example of energy efficiency, and marks the path by which companies must move forward to reach the decarbonization objectives set by the European Commission.
