Audi Signs New Waste Heating Contract

German manufacturer Audi signed today a waste heating contract with Ingolstadt municipal utility company Stadtwerke for the increased supply of heat resulted from burning waste materials. The contract will allow, starting with 2011, for the delivery of 310,000 Mwh per year to the city, amounting to an overall CO2 reduction in Ingolstadt of 67,000 metric tons of CO2 (26,000 metric tons will be saved by Audi alone).

“The new waste heating contract will shift the emphasis away from gas in favor of waste heat utilization and heat from trigeneration,” Frank Dreves, Audi member of the board said in a release. To meet the contract requirements, Audi will invest 6 million euros in technology.

Currently, the Audi facility has an yearly heat requirement of 410,000 Mwh, 60,000 Mwh being supplied by Stadtwerke from Zweckverband Müllverwertungsanlage (the city's waste utilization plant). 100,000 Mwh are produced by Audi itself, while the rest comes from using natural gas-fired boilers.

“This contract is an impressive example of the appropriate and creative use of resources. It also contributes to further enhancing the attractiveness of Ingolstadt as a business location,” Alfred Lehmann, Ingolstadt mayor added.

Stadtwerke already supplies 412 customers with heat produced from waste. The new contract will force the company to expand its distribution network and facilities, in an effort which will cost the city 23 million euros.

“We have strong ties to the city and its people. As a regional power utility, we not only consider ourselves to be responsible for the safe and ecological supply of energy, but we also have a responsibility for the economy,” Hubert Stockmeier, Stadtwerke general manager concluded.