General Manager of EDA THESS, Mr. Bakouras Leonidas, the Director of Network Development and New Connections of Thessaly, Mrs. E. Kalogirou and Company executives, visited the facilities of the state-of-the-art Greenhouse «Kipi Karditsas» in Karditsomagoula of the Municipality of Karditsa, Region of Thessaly. They were welcomed by the owners, Mr. Lellis Georgios and Mr. Papargiropoulos Argirios and guided in the infrastructures of the Hydroponic Cultivation greenhouse that utilizes High-Efficiency Electricity and Heat Cogeneration.
The reason of the visit was the connection of the Unit with the Distribution Network of EDA THESS and the commencement of the supply of its facilities with natural gas for the needs of the production activity.
Company`s executives were toured in the greenhouse and were informed about new investments and unit`s operational and productive procedures.
Mechanical equipment installed is of latest technology and consists of two 9 MW gas-fired internal combustion engines used to generate electricity and a 7.5 MW boiler for heating hot water with natural gas. The gas consumption by the Unit is projected to be ~ 5,000,000 Nm3 per year.
In the greenhouse, Natural Gas is mainly used for heating, dehumidifying and CO2 enrichment. The produced flue gases from the combustion gas are fed into the greenhouse as carbon dioxide feedstock which can increase the crop efficiency by up to 30%, while at the same time the cogeneration unit captures the generated heat (flue gases and hot water) to achieve the desired temperature conditions for cultivation.
«Kipi Karditsas» is one of four new generation greenhouses in Greece with hydroponic tomatoes annual production that will exceed 5,000 tonnes.
As Mr. Leonidas Bakouras, General Manager of EDA THESS, mentioned, “The high level of natural gas penetration in the production sector in the Areas of Distribution License is due to the reliability, consistency, know-how and excellent service of the Company. After all, both the implementation of the lowest distribution tariffs and the reduced environmental pollution of gas usage, provide a competitive advantage and can attract large, energy-intensive and technologically advanced investments".
Concluding, he stated that EDA THESS supports the pillars of the modern economy, and in particular of the agricultural production.
