Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant (Vilnius CHP) has started hot tests using non-recyclable municipal waste — once the dedicated equipment is tested, the waste will begin turning into power and heat for Vilnius residents.

Transportation of waste sorted at the Vilnius Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to Vilnius CHP began in October; the plant is expected to prevent up to 160,000 tonnes of waste per year from ending up in Lithuanian landfills. This phase, known as the "first flame" of waste, is the first step in converting waste into energy by testing the equipment across all operating modes.

Vilnius CHP CEO Saulius Barauskas notes that hot tests using natural gas began at the end of summer, and after their successful completion, the plant was ready to generate energy from municipal waste — the heating season that had just begun would be the first in which municipal waste is used to produce heat for Vilnius residents.

Ensuring the highest environmental standards has been a priority ahead of the launch — Vilnius CHP has installed modern flue gas treatment systems combining selective non-catalytic reduction, semi-dry flue gas treatment, and sleeve filters, automatically adapting to changes in flue gas composition to keep emissions below EU-mandated limits. An emissions measurement system is also in place, with data continuously monitored by plant operators and the Environmental Protection Department and made public daily.

As previously announced, Vilnius CHP won the November heat auction with the lowest bid of 2.18 ct/kWh. Once commercially operational, the plant will have a total power capacity of approximately 100 MW and thermal capacity of approximately 240 MW, covering around 40% of Vilnius's annual district heating demand, and will be among the most modern plants of its type in Europe.