During 2006 Cartiere del Garda approved a project for the replacement of the thermo-electric power plant with a new, more efficient and technologically advanced plant, both in order to optimise fuel consumtpion and to reduce atmospheric emissions.
Under the project, Cartiere del Garda and the local municipal energy authority Alto Garda Servizi (AGS) have established a new company, called Alto Garda Power, with an 80% shareholding for Cartiere del Garda and 20% for AGS.
The project involved the construction of a cogeneration combined cycle power plant to supply Cartiere del Garda's electrical, thermal and cooling energy, as well as supplying the district heating system for the Riva del Garda community by AGS.
The combined cycle power plant comprises a 42 MWe gas turbine, which supplies a Heat Recovery Steam Generator for the production of steam and hot water, and a steam turbine of approximately 7 MWe.
Furthermore, thanks to the reduction of steam by recycling the heat and the fuel-gas and by completing the energy cycle with other units (exchangers, heat pumps, hot water boilers), Cartiere del Garda not only achieves energy saving but as well the production of "clean" additional energy. This energy is used for the supply of heat to the above mentioned district heating system.
