Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co.

What Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co. does

Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co. KG (BEKW) operates a 49.8 MW straw-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant located in Emlichheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. Commissioned in 2013 as Germany's first straw-fired heating power plant, the facility converts approximately 75,000 tonnes of agricultural straw per year into up to 10.6 MW of electrical energy (fed into the public grid), up to 24.5 MW of process steam (supplied to industrial customers via pipeline), and up to 20 MW of district heating (delivered to public facilities and private households through a connected Nahwärme network). The plant achieves an energy utilization rate of up to 90% via a flexible electricity-to-heat ratio and a 4,500 m³ hot-water buffer storage tank that decouples production from demand fluctuations.

The technology stack is purpose-built for straw, which poses combustion challenges due to ash slagging and chlorine content. BEKW deploys a water-cooled vibrating grate with cyclic vibration to prevent ash buildup, a specialized superheater configuration, and a complex boiler control system optimized for low emissions and high efficiency. Steam is generated at 522 °C / 112 bar. The plant avoids approximately 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually versus fossil equivalents and creates a regional value chain by procuring straw directly from local farmers under both delivery-to-Emlichheim and pickup-from-storage arrangements.

BEKW is a privately held German GmbH & Co. KG (limited partnership) with managing directors W. Pieper and H. Fehrmann. Revenue derives from three streams: regulated electricity feed-in tariffs (transactional, grid-facing), contracted process-steam supply to industrial offtakers (transactional, industrial), and recurring district-heating contracts with public and residential customers. Distribution is entirely direct and physical (grid, steam pipeline, district-heating network); straw procurement is also direct from farmers. The company is operationally certified by TÜV and AGFW for its district-heating primary energy factor under the German Energy Conservation Ordinance (GEG), valid through 28.09.2031, and holds a strategic affiliation with Agro Wea's bioenergy business unit. No public revenue, headcount, ownership, or pricing disclosure is available.

Name

Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co.

Legal name

BEKW Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://bekw.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co. KG operates Germany's first and largest straw-fired combined heat and power plant in Emlichheim, generating 10.6 MW of electricity, 24.5 MW of process steam, and up to 20 MW of district heating from 75,000 tonnes of agricultural straw annually for industrial, municipal, and residential customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomass Energy Generation

NAICS

Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (22133), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply (4961)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass CHP & Cogeneration Plants (Industrial & Utility) (EUAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Combustion & Boiler Island Technology (Grates, Fluidized Bed, Burners) (EUAAAGAG), Agricultural Residues & Energy Crops Biomass Power (Stover, Bagasse, Pellets) (EUACAIAF), Biomass Plant Operations, Maintenance & Performance Services (O&M) (EUAAAGAI), Heat Recovery & Thermal Integration for Biomass Plants (Economizers, ORC, Heat Exchangers) (EUAAAGAL)

Keywords

• Biomass combined heat power
• Straw-fired CHP plant
• Renewable energy generation
• District heating supply
• Process steam supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Emlichheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electricity Feed-in: Feeding electrical energy into the public power grid. The plant has a maximum electrical output capacity of 10.6 MW.
2. Process Steam Supply: Supply of process steam for energy-intensive industrial production processes. Maximum thermal extraction of 24.5 MW.
3. District Heating (Nahwärme): Supply of district heating to connected heating networks for public facilities and households. Up to 20 MW heating capacity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BEKW Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland operates Germany's first straw-fired biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Emlichheim, converting approximately 75,000 tonnes of agricultural straw annually into three energy outputs: electricity fed into the public grid (up to 10.6 MW), process steam delivered to industrial customers (up to 24.5 MW thermal), and district heating supplied to connected public facilities and households (up to 20 MW). The facility achieves an energy utilization rate of up to 90% through its high-efficiency combined heat and power generation, while avoiding approximately 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

Product overview

Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland operates a biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant that generates electricity, process steam, and district heating from straw. The facility provides three interconnected energy products: Elektrische Energie (up to 10.6 MW electrical feed-in), Prozessdampf (up to 24.5 MW process steam), and Nahwärme (up to 20 MW district heating). The plant achieves an energy utilization rate of up to 90% through combined heat and power generation, and supports its operations by sourcing straw from agricultural suppliers via the Strohanlieferung service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elektrische Energie (Electrical Energy) Feeding electrical energy into the public power grid, with a maximum feed-in capacity of 10.6 MW generated from straw combustion. Intended for electricity utilities and grid operators requiring renewable baseload capacity.
• Prozessdampf (Process Steam) Supply of process steam with up to 24.5 MW thermal extraction at 522°C / 112 bar for energy-intensive industrial production processes. Delivered via direct pipeline to industrial manufacturers in the region.
• Nahwärme (District Heating) Supply of district heating (Nahwärme) with up to 20 MW heating capacity for public facilities and private households connected to the heating network, with a 4,500 m³ hot water buffer storage ensuring supply reliability. Available for new builds or replacement of existing heating systems.
• Strohanlieferung (Straw Delivery/Procurement Service) Procurement service for straw as biomass fuel, with an annual demand of approximately 75,000 tonnes. Available to agricultural suppliers and farmers with both delivery-to-Emlichheim and pickup-from-storage-site options, providing a long-term sustainable sales outlet for agricultural straw byproducts.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions reduced by 100,000 tonnes annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Agro Wea (agrowea.de)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgro Wea appears to be a parent or affiliated company within the Bioenergie group. The logo is displayed on the BEKW website with a link to agrowea.de's bioenergy business unit. This indicates an organizational relationship between the companies for bioenergy operations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves3 records

Direct peers

• EnviTec Biogas AG: German-based operator and constructor of biogas/biomass-to-energy plants. Directly comparable to BEKW as a Germany-headquartered biomass energy operator that owns and operates CHP/biogas assets selling electricity and heat to grids and local customers.
• Verbio SE: German biofuel and biomethane producer that converts agricultural residues (including straw-derived biomass) into energy. Highly comparable feedstock base and value proposition (agricultural biomass → renewable energy) to BEKW's straw-to-heat-and-power model.
• WELTEC BioPower GmbH: German manufacturer and operator of biogas and biomass CHP plants across Europe. Closely comparable as a turnkey biomass CHP developer with similar customer base of regional farmers supplying agricultural feedstock.
• Dalkia (EDF Group): Major European district heating and energy services operator (EDF subsidiary) with biomass CHP assets serving industrial and municipal heat customers. Highly comparable business model combining industrial process steam, district heating, and renewable/biomass generation.

Broad incumbents

• MVV Energie AG: German municipal utility that operates large-scale biomass and waste-to-energy CHP plants (e.g., in Mannheim) feeding district heating networks. Comparable to BEKW in core technology (biomass CHP, district heating) but operates across a much broader portfolio and geography.
• E.ON SE: Major European energy group whose heat and decentralized generation business includes biomass CHP and district heating operations in Germany. Comparable broadly as a buyer/competitor in biomass heat and power, though E.ON's portfolio is much wider than BEKW's single-asset focus.

Emerging players

• 2G Energy AG: German manufacturer of CHP systems (gas engines, containerized CHP units) that supplies heat-and-power technology to operators like municipalities and industrial users. Comparable as a CHP technology supplier within the same end market BEKW serves.

Regional players

• Stadtwerke München (SWM): Munich municipal utility operating biomass CHP and large district heating networks. Comparable as a regional player running renewable-fueled CHP plants feeding urban district heating networks, although at a far larger scale and in a different region than BEKW.
• Stadtwerke Leipzig: Municipal utility operating biomass and waste-fired CHP plants supplying Leipzig's district heating network. Comparable business model (biomass CHP + district heating network) to BEKW, although at significantly larger scale and serving a different urban catchment.

Others

• Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI): Swiss-based EPC contractor and operator of waste-to-energy and biomass-to-energy plants. Comparable as a technology provider and operator of combustion-based renewable energy plants with similar CHP/district heating integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bioenergiekraftwerk Emsland GmbH & Co.