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Cogeneration and biogas
Power and heat from one source.
A combined heat and power unit produces electricity and heat together and can start within minutes when the grid needs power. A well-designed unit today earns not from running all the time, but from when it runs.
- ScaleFrom hundreds of kWe to 20 MWe
- BiogasNew plants and conversion to biomethane
- BiomethaneOperating support by auction, the first in 2026
- Our roleStudies, permits, contractor selection, supervision
Where it makes sense
District heating plants
Replacing coal boilers, flexible power output driven by market prices, and heat into the district heating network.
Industry with a heat demand
Your own power and heat or steam for production, and backup for critical operations.
Biogas plants
A longer life for an existing plant, a new engine, or conversion to biomethane for the gas grid.
Buildings and campuses
Hospitals, swimming pools, campuses: a year-round heat demand in which cogeneration pays for itself.
What we do for you
- From your heat and power demand data we size the unit, the storage tank and the operating regime around power and gas prices.
- We compare cogeneration with the alternatives: a heat pump, an electrode boiler or a combination.
- For biogas plants we assess the feedstock, the plant's technical condition and the case for moving to biomethane.
- With partners, we handle permits, emission limits and the connection to the power and gas grids.
- We run the tender, the supply and long-term service contracts and owner's engineering on site.
- We check eligibility for operating support and the options for offering the unit's flexibility as balancing services.
What to watch
- Turbines have long lead times. According to the manufacturer TEDOM, engine-based CHP units are delivered in tens of weeks while gas turbines take years, and several heating-plant tenders have failed for lack of turbines.
- Biogas is moving to biomethane. Operating support for electricity from biogas is being phased down and the state is backing biomethane: the target is around a hundred biomethane plants by 2030, against 12 in October 2025.
- Auctions have strict conditions. In the first auction for biomethane operating support (results 08/09/2026), 11 projects won, five new and six at existing biogas plants, with support of CZK 2,346 to 2,879 per MWh and an obligation to start operating by the end of 2029. We recommend preparing a gas-grid connection contract and a bank guarantee early.
- Licensing. Generating electricity in a unit above 100 kW connected to the grid requires an ERÚ licence; heat production is also a licensed activity.
Sources: Ekonomický deník, 17/02/2026, oEnergetice, 18/10/2025, oEnergetice, 08/09/2026, Energy Act. As at 24/10/2026.
Typical projects
| Project | Usual scale | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| CHP at a heating plant | 1 to 20 MWe | Heat demand, gas and power prices, heat storage |
| CHP at an industrial site or campus | Hundreds of kWe to a few MWe | Year-round heat or steam demand, backup |
| Biogas plant conversion to biomethane | One plant | Feedstock, gas-grid connection, auction |
| Biomass heating plant | 1 to 20 MWt | Fuel supply, emission limits, heat network |
Ranges are indicative and drawn from projects on the Czech market.
FAQ
Cogeneration: your questions.
Does CHP still have a future?
As a flexible source, yes. A unit with heat storage runs in the hours when electricity is expensive. Heating plants leaving coal combine it with other sources: in its second phase, Teplárna Karviná plans a gas turbine of up to 18 MW and two gas engines of about 12 MW each, now in environmental impact assessment, and aims to stop burning coal by the end of 2029 (Ekonomický deník, 05/08/2026).
Can a unit run on hydrogen?
Some manufacturers offer hydrogen-ready units. What that means for a particular offer, how much hydrogen and which modifications, we assess when selecting the supplier.
Does converting to biomethane pay?
It depends on the feedstock, the distance to the gas grid, the condition of the plant and the result of the operating-support auction. We assess it before you invest in development.
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