The Viseu Biomass Plant is one of the most significant international projects developed by ENSO in Europe. Located in the heart of Portugal’s forestry region, this plant exemplifies how forestry waste recovery can be integrated into an energy strategy that is highly efficient, technically reliable and environmentally committed.
With a thermal power of 49 MWt and an installed electrical power of 15 MWe, this facility was designed to operate more than 8,000 hours per year, with a guaranteed efficiency of over 89%. Since its commissioning in 2019, it has demonstrated high operational stability thanks to its advanced technology, including a proprietary boiler design with an air-cooled vibrating grate, multi-stage gas cleaning systems and air-cooled condensers that minimise water consumption.
This project is the twin plant of the Fundão Power Station, both in terms of design and capacity and management model. Both were promoted by ENSO together with its local partner FPT Energía, and share the same key infrastructure, including the supply of the boiler, the supervision of the execution contract by ELECNOR as EPC contractor and the management of operation and maintenance through Magestop.
The Viseu project, 90% acquired by the Marguerite fund, has established itself as a benchmark for sustainable biomass management in Portugal, with a direct impact on forest fire prevention.
The plant generates up to 15 electrical megawatts, which allows it to annually produce 120,000 MWh of 100% renewable electricity. This production is equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 28,000 Portuguese households.
The thermal design of the plant allows for high energy efficiency, ensuring the necessary performance for the stable supply of renewable energy through biomass.
The annual generation covers the equivalent consumption of approximately 28,000 households. This production comes entirely from local forest biomass, actively contributing to the decarbonization of the Portuguese energy mix.
The biomass used comes from Portuguese forests and is supplied in the form of chips or logs, being chipped on-site. The plant thus contributes to forest cleaning and fire prevention, with an efficient logistics system and guaranteed traceability.
The Viseu Biomass Plant, in operation since 2019, is one of the most emblematic international projects developed by ENSO in Europe. Located in the parish of Mundão, in the heart of Portugal's forest region, the plant uses pine and eucalyptus waste to generate 100% renewable energy, making it a model of efficiency and operational resilience.
With a thermal power of almost 50 MWt and an electrical capacity of 15 MWe, the plant is designed to operate more than 8,000 hours per year, with an efficiency of over 89%. Its design includes a high-efficiency boiler with an air-cooled vibrating grate, multi-stage gas cleaning systems and air-cooled condensers, which reduce water consumption and enhance the environmental sustainability of the project.
The replicable nature of the ENSO model is reflected in the fact that this plant shares its design, technology and management model with its twin plant in Fundão. Both have demonstrated the capacity of bioenergy to provide a stable, sustainable and manageable electricity supply in the context of the European energy transition.
assa de Viseu, em operação desde 2019, é um dos projetos internacionais mais emblemáticos desenvolvidos pela ENSO na Europa. Situada na freguesia de Mundão, no coração florestal de Portugal, a planta aproveita resíduos de pinho e eucalipto para gerar energia 100 % renovável, tornando-se um modelo de eficiência e resiliência operacional.
Com uma potência térmica de quase 50 MWt e uma capacidade elétrica de 15 MWe, a central foi concebida para operar mais de 8.000 horas por ano, com um rendimento superior a 89 %. O seu design inclui uma caldeira de alta eficiência com grelha vibratória refrigerada a ar, sistemas multietapas de limpeza de gases e refrigeração por aerocondensadores, que reduzem o consumo de água e reforçam a sustentabilidade ambiental do projeto.
O caráter replicável do modelo ENSO reflete-se no facto de esta planta partilhar design, tecnologia e modelo de gestão com a central gémea de Fundão. Ambas demonstraram a capacidade da bioenergia para oferecer um fornecimento elétrico estável, sustentável e gerível no contexto da transição energética europeia.
In addition to its contribution to Portugal's renewable energy mix, the Viseu plant acts as an economic and territorial driver. Its development has generated dozens of direct jobs and more than 300 indirect jobs linked to the biomass value chain: forest management, logistics, transport and associated services.
At the same time, the plant contributes to cleaning up forests and reducing the risk of forest fires, one of Portugal's main environmental challenges.
Viseu, one of Portugal's most densely forested regions, is also an area marked by its agricultural tradition and strong cultural ties to land management. The implementation of the plant has transformed this potential into an opportunity for sustainable development, integrating the recovery of forest residues into an economic cycle that generates energy, employment and territorial cohesion.
The project, initially developed in partnership with FPT Energia and supported mainly by the European Marguerite fund, has established itself as an international benchmark in bioenergy. Its impact demonstrates that biomass is not only a renewable alternative with great technical stability, but also an effective tool for strengthening the environmental and socio-economic resilience of the Portuguese territory.
