Poultry litter power plant “egg of Columbusâ€
“This power plant that runs on poultry litter is the ‘Egg of Columbus’†said Dutch Agriculture Minister Gerda Verburg at the official opening of the biomass plant in Moerdijk, the Netherlands.
The power plant is fed with 440,000 tonnes of poultry manure, which is supplied by 629 poultry farms. It produces 36.5 megaWatt of power and is the largest plant in the world that runs on poultry manure.
“I am proud on the agricultural sector who achieved this plan. With this ingenious initiative the Netherlands two problems are confronted; the manure problem and the increasing demand for electrical power,†Verburg said, but she also emphasised that this plant in comparison to a traditional power plant is still small.
“Despite its size I cherish it. The Netherlands is a rich and prosperous country and we want to preserve that for future generations. The economy needs to keep growing for this,†she said.
Energy sources
“Worldwide economical growth threatens to exhaust world energy sources. Therefore energy production needs to become sustainable, which has a positive effect on climate and makes us less dependent on fossil fuels. This works positive for the economical and political climate worldwide,†Verburg continued.
She emphasised that to continue the developments and new initiatives, knowledge needs to be exchanged. The development and building of this plant was a €150 million project which was partly financed with government support.
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