32 | Focus on Energy Systems: Unilin
UNILIN TURNS OFF THE GAS
Unilin has made chipboard production more sustainable at Oostrozebeke, thanks to an investment with A&S Energie. Stephen Powney reports
t the start of 2026, the Unilin chipboard plant in in Oostrozebeke, Belgium, hit a landmark when it ceased to rely on natural gas as an energy source. A ceremony was held to turn the gas valves
A
off, with annual consumption of 45,000 MWh of natural gas being replaced by green heat following an €8.5m investment in a heat connection between A&S Energie’s green power plant and the Unilin production site. Unilin says the move effectively takes the chipboard plant into the future. From now on,
the presses used to produce chipboard will be warmed by green heat instead of natural gas, avoiding annual CO2 emissions of 9,090 tonnes. This investment strengthens Unilin Panels’
competitiveness and is the beginning of a further modernisation of the chipboard site in Oostrozebeke.
JOINT VENTURE A&S Energie, a joint venture between Aspiravi and Unilin, already provides 95% of the electricity needs of the adjacent Unilin
plant today.
But the presses, the heart of the site where the wood chips are compressed into chipboards, were until now heated with natural gas. Thanks to the investment in a cogeneration unit, A&S Energie will now also supply green heat to this production site. “The production of chipboards is an energy-intensive production process,” said Wim Messiaen, CEO of Unilin. “In recent years, we have been working hard on efficiency and electrification of
A&S Energie, a joint venture of Aspiravi and Unilin
WBPI | Summer 2026 |
www.wbpionline.com
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