our production processes. Our site in Oostrozebeke was already using green electricity from A&S Energie. Now we are taking the last big hurdle on the energy front in Oostrozebeke. “With this investment, we are taking the production site into the future. We are turning off the gas valve and opening the steam valve. This €8.5m investment underlines our focus on a circular European manufacturing industry. In the coming years, we will invest further in modernising the entire site.”


At A&S Energie, non-recyclable wood


waste is converted into green energy. Via an industrial heat exchanger, steam of 370°C brings a closed circuit of thermal oil to a temperature of 280°C. This 2.4km long pipe circuit carrying thermal oil meanders through Unilin’s 31ha production site, where it heats 2 chipboard presses and 2 melamine presses. “With A&S Energie and A&U Energie, we


have two state-of-the-art green energy plants,” said Steven Vandenbulcke, plant manager A&S Energie. “There, we convert non-recyclable wood waste into green electricity and green


Steam taps are turned on at A&S Energie and Unilin


steam. For nearby industrial companies, our plants are a strategic solution to make their production processes more sustainable. Green electricity is widely known. But in many production processes, you also need heat. Just think of press installations or furnaces. Very often, these now run on gas. But steam via heat coupling is the way to produce more efficiently and environmentally consciously.” Unilin has a big strategy focused on sustainability. As part of the strategy, Unilin is continuously investing in further increasing its efficiency and reducing emissions throughout the organisation. Unilin is already a global leader in circularity with its chipboard production. Some 95% of the wood in its chipboards is recycled waste wood. This makes Unilin the largest wood


recycler in Belgium. Using green steam in the production process further reduces the carbon footprint of chipboard. The company says the carbon footprint of the materials used is an increasingly important purchasing criterion in the construction world. Therefore, the investment provides chipboard products with a competitive advantage.


A&S Energie produces 190 GWh of green electricity, enough to power 55,000 families in and around Oostrozebeke. All waste wood that can still be recycled or reused will first start a second life as a product through other channels, such as Unilin’s chipboards. Only the non-recyclable waste wood, originating from container parks, demolition companies, and other sources will be processed into green energy at A&S Energie.


The A&S plant was originally taken


into use during 2010 at the Unilin site in Oostrozebeke.


A&U ENERGIE Since 2021, the second joint venture green energy plant, A&U in nearby


Wielsbeke, Belgium, has also been fully operational.


The heat generated at A&U not only


serves production operations but also Agristo, a neighbouring manufacturer of frozen potato products. A&U Energie in Wielsbeke received


a cost-efficient CHP plant with Dieffenbacher Energy. Low emissions and low operating costs were achieved with bubbling fluidized bed technology. With a maximum fuel heat input of 90


MW, the plant uses waste wood classes A1–A4. To allow the plant operator to adapt to fuel prices and availability, the boiler can also be fired with up to 50% wood dust, which is injected into the fluidized bed via a pneumatic conveying system. The live steam is expanded via a


condensing steam turbine that generates 20 MW of electrical power. Via an extraction port, up to 32 t/h extraction steam is directed to a secondary steam generator, which produces up to 31 t/h of process steam and hot water for a food manufacturer. The turbine’s exhaust steam is condensed in an air-cooled condenser. Due to the low NOx emissions of the bubbling fluidized bed combustion, the strict NOx emission limits can be met using an SNCR system only. The plant is a “zero wastewater plant,” meaning that all wastewater generated is reused within the power plant process, so under normal operation, no wastewater needs to be discharged into the sewer system. To optimize disposal costs, the ash fractions from the boiler, pre-separator, and fabric filter are collected and stored separately. A&U produces both green heat for Unilin and other neighbouring businesses, and green electricity for 40,000 families. For Aspiravi and Unilin, the latest heat


connection investment is therefore the third related energy project.


www.wbpionline.com | Summer 2026 | WBPI


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