B+T Horn Energie GmbHSewage sludge drying for 78 municipalities: contract signed for 20 years

After two years of negotiations and a large tendering process running in parallel, it has finally been achieved: The municipal partner MVA Bielefeld and the B+T subsidiary B+T Horn Energie have contractually sealed a cooperation in the field of sewage sludge treatment. With a very long contract term until the year 2043.

For B+T Horn Energie and its approximately 40 employees, the cooperation results in “a safeguarding of the high investments of the last three years at the location in Horn-Bad Meinberg and a safeguarding of the location for 20 years,” emphasises Managing Director Dr. Bernd Hoffmann.

Originally, 78 municipalities from the East Westphalia-Lippe region were looking for a partner in a joint tender to thermally treat all the sewage sludge produced in the region in future by building and operating a mono-sludge incineration plant from 2028 at the latest. In the first part of the tendering phase, the two current partners each presented their own concepts. Later on, however, both companies combined the respective advantages of their concepts and thus designed a successful overall concept, which has now also been awarded the contract.

With the construction of the mono-sludge incineration plant at its site in Bielefeld, MVA Bielefeld will thermally treat the total amount of sewage sludge from the OWL region from 2028 at the latest. B+T Horn Energie will dry around 30 per cent of this volume to over 90 per cent dry matter beforehand at its site in Horn-Bad Meinberg using the existing sewage sludge dryer. This has many advantages for all parties involved, because the second receiving location in Horn means significantly shorter transport distances for the regional sewage treatment plants.

For B+T Horn Energie, a permanent thermal use of the sustainable energy generated from the operation of the biomass power plant there is secured, and for the waste incineration plant in Bielefeld, the use of the dried sewage sludge granulate from Horn results in energetic advantages that can be used in the district heating network of the city of Bielefeld. Bernd Hoffmann: “In other words, a strong regional solution by two strong, regionally active companies at eye level, with many advantages for the OWL region.”