Amstetten achieves 90% self-sufficiency through a community biogas power plant

Amstetten achieves 90% self-sufficiency through a community biogas power plant

The Amstetten Citizens' Energy Community announced a significant success at its most recent general meeting, at which around 60 members were present. Thanks to the effective use of a biogas power plant, the community was able to achieve a level of self-sufficiency of an impressive 90 percent. This shows that the Amstetten region is working towards a degree of energy independence and promises a lot for the future of sustainable energy production.

Anton Kasser, the chairman of the community and member of the Lower Austrian state parliament from the ÖVP, was extremely positive: "We are proud of this development. The biogas power plant is the key to our success and underlines how important the commitment of our members and communities is. By using renewable energies, we can make a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions."

Membership growth and sustainable development

Another highlight of the meeting was the significant increase in members over the past few months. Tamas Locher, project manager at Energie Zukunft Niederösterreich (EZN), noted that interest in decentralized and environmentally friendly energy solutions is increasing. “More and more people want to become part of this movement and actively contribute to the energy transition,” explained Locher. This clearly shows that many citizens recognize and support the value of a sustainable energy supply.

The citizens' energy community has set itself the goal of continuing to supply the region with environmentally friendly energy and driving forward the energy transition. Anton Kasser stated that the community, with a stable and growing member base as well as innovative projects such as the biogas power plant, is “on the right track to continue to operate successfully and sustainably in the future”.

Role of the energy future of Lower Austria

Energie Zukunft Niederösterreich GmbH, a joint subsidiary of EVN and the Energy and Environmental Agency of the State of Lower Austria (eNu), is behind this success. It supports communities, companies and private individuals from the idea through to the establishment and management of energy communities. Its goal is to promote the model region for decentralized renewable energy generation in Lower Austria.

The developments in Amstetten are a concrete example of progress in sustainability and show how a community can bring about positive change through collaboration and commitment. The increasing level of self-sufficiency, coupled with the increase in members, underlines the importance of communal, sustainable energy supply in the region. For more details on this topic, see the report on www.tips.at.