Systems at Vilnius CHP's biomass unit started hot tests on Wednesday, evaluating the readiness of the equipment for heat and electricity production. The tests verify all operationally significant regimes of the equipment and monitoring systems; the biofuel unit is expected to start operating in the 2023-2024 heating season, contributing to a reduction in fossil fuel use in Vilnius's central heating network.

Vilnius CHP CEO Mantas Burokas notes that the team and contractors managed to start hot tests within the first quarter, although a lot of intensive work still lies ahead in this final project stage. Throughout the tests, the biofuel plant's operations, fuel preparation and transportation systems, and joint balancing systems (waste and biofuel) will be monitored, with testing paused if adjustments to the equipment are needed. During the hot tests, the biofuel plant will also be integrated into Vilnius's centralized heating network and Lithuania's electricity grid — a process that commonly takes up to half a year or longer to ensure stable production at optimal power.

Vilnius CHP will not operate at full power throughout testing, and heat output levels will fluctuate depending on operational settings, heating demand, and equipment stability. Cold testing of the biomass unit started in November 2022, preparing the equipment for proper operation before fuel was loaded, along with testing of other important systems such as drinking and firefighting water pipelines, and air purification and conditioning.

Vilnius CHP has been generating energy from waste since 2021, incinerating approximately 160,000 tonnes of municipal waste yearly, while the biomass unit is expected to use around 500,000 tonnes of biomass annually. Once complete, Vilnius CHP will be one of the most modern combined heat and power plants in Europe, with an estimated electric capacity of approximately 93 MW and heating capacity of 239 MW.