BUSINESS: 381 PRACTICES
ELLAKTOR Group is active in the segment of Concessions, Environment and Real Estate Development - Management. With a presence in 4 countries and 2,300 employees, the Group operates with environmental and social responsibility, providing high-quality infrastructure projects, which aim to promote sustainability and the continuous creation of added value for the entire Greek economy and society.
ELLAKTOR Group has been active in the Environmental segment for more than 20 years through its subsidiary, HELECTOR. HELECTOR is a fully integrated company in the waste management and green energy production sector. As one of the leading companies in Southeastern Europe, with completed projects in 8 countries, it stands as the only Greek company that owns and applies cutting-edge technologies in its field of activity. HELECTOR's significant expertise and specialization enable it to provide comprehensive waste management solutions, which include the design, construction, and operation of modern waste processing facilities, as well as projects for the production of refuse-derived fuel and the energy utilization of biogas and biomass.
Specifically, through the design, development, and operation of biogas utilization plants, ELLAKTOR Group contributes to mitigating climate change by capturing methane, which is released from landfills and is the second most significant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide in terms of its contribution to climate change (with a global warming potential 28 times greater than that of carbon dioxide). In this way, electrical energy is generated and fed into the grid, enhancing the country’s energy mix.
The collection, exploitation, and energy utilization of biogas contribute to energy savings, as the high availability of HELECTOR’s plants adds over 200,000 valuable green MWhe to the country’s energy balance annually. Additionally, the collection of biogas at landfills and its energy utilization contribute to the creation of specialized job positions. Biogas utilization stations serve as base units for generating electrical and thermal energy, while significantly supporting the country’s energy transformation.
Local & wider Community
2001-2041
HELECTOR has installed and operates the largest biogas energy utilization units from landfills in Greece. Specifically, the Environmental sector’s portfolio includes the utilization of biogas produced from landfill sites and its conversion into electrical energy for grid feeding. HELECTOR, possessing significant expertise in the energy utilization of biogas produced at landfills, operates four biogas utilization units: VEAL S.A. with two biogas power stations in Ano Liosia, the Tagarades unit in Thessaloniki, the Mavrorachi unit in Thessaloniki, and the Kozani unit, with a total installed capacity of over 33 MW.
Biogas energy utilization units are strategic projects for the energy and environmental improvement of regional landfills. With the biogas produced at the landfills feeding the stations, renewable electricity is generated, while greenhouse gas emissions (specifically, methane CH4) are avoided, significantly improving air quality. Simultaneously, the stations have created high-skilled jobs, with most of the staff coming from the local community.
Biogas Power Plant in Ano Liosia (VEAL S.A)
VEAL S.A. is a partnership between HELECTOR S.A. and the Australian company Energy Developments Ltd, with each holding a 50% share in the equity. The power plant was implemented in two phases. The first phase (Station I) was completed in 2001 and consists of 11 biogas power generators of type DEUTZ TBG 620 V16 with an electrical capacity of 1.26 MW, while the second phase (Station II) started operations in 2006, consisting of 4 biogas power generators of type INNIO Jenbacher JGC 620, 2.7 MW. The total licensed production capacity amounts to 24.22 MW. The unit as a whole consumes up to 15,000 m³/h of biogas produced from the landfill cells of the Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) of Western Attica, where the company has developed a vertical extraction network and a horizontal transport network to the Station. The annual electricity production amounts to up to 180,000 MWh, depending on biogas availability. In this way, approximately 800,000 equivalent tonnes of CO2 emissions are prevented annually, significantly contributing to the environmental footprint of national target. Additionally, 4.5 MWth of the thermal energy discarded from Station II’s power generators is used for the energy supply of the leachate evaporators of the adjacent Leachate Treatment Plant, further preventing the use of significant quantities of fossil resources, while part of Station I’s thermal energy is used for heating the interior spaces of the buildings.
It is worth mentioning that the Biogas Power Plant at the Integrated Waste Management Facility of Western Attica in Ano Liosia, with a total capacity of 24.2 MW, designed, constructed, and operated by the Group, is among the largest globally.
Biogas Power Plant of Mavrorachi, Thessaloniki
The Mavrorachi Power Plant was licensed and constructed between 2017-2020, and has been continuously operated by experienced scientific and technical personnel of HELECTOR S.A. since August 2020. The station is located within the Mavrorachi Landfill in the wider area of the Municipality of Lagkadas, in Thessaloniki region. The landfill has been active since 2008 and receives all the waste of the Thessaloniki region.
The station consists of 3 biogas power generators of type Jenbacher JGC 416, each with an electrical capacity of 1.173 MW each, with a total licensed capacity of 3.52 MW, and is connected to a HEDNO substation. The biogas produced at the landfill feeds the station, generating renewable electricity, while the combustion of the biogas prevents the emission of greenhouse gases (specifically, methane CH4), significantly improving air quality. The station has created high-skilled jobs and employs local community personnel.
This significant project involves generating electricity from the landfill waste of Mavrorachi. Specifically, the unit utilizes the biogas produced from the organic matter accumulated within the landfill after anaerobic processing. In its three years of operation, the station has prevented the emission of 43 million cubic meters of biogas from the landfill into the atmosphere and has produced more than 92,000 MWh of green energy, reducing the environmental footprint by at least 350,000 equivalent tonness of carbon dioxide, significantly improving the air quality in the wider region.
It is worth mentioning that HELECTOR, following the national award it received in November 2023, as part of the Energy Globe Awards, for the Biogas Energy Utilization Unit at the Mavrorachi Landfill, also won the Energy Globe World Award 2023 in the “Air” category, becoming the first Greek company to be distinguished globally in this institution. It is noted that the "global sustainability award", Energy Globe World Award, is awarded in the categories of Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Youth. The award in the "Air" category concerns projects and installations that contribute to preventing environmentally and human health-harmful air emissions and improving air quality. Mavrorachi Station, unique in both technical design and operation, produces renewable electricity while preventing greenhouse gas emissions. This feature, along with the energy utilization of the produced biogas and the improvement of air quality, played a decisive role in this award.
Biogas Power Plant of Tagarades, Thessaloniki
The Tagarades Power Plant was constructed between 2005-2006 and has been continuously operated by experienced scientific and technical personnel of HELECTOR S.A. The station is located near the Tagarades Landfill, in the eastern part of Thessaloniki region, while the landfill is already in the aftercare phase.
The station consists of 4 biogas power generators of type DEUTZ TBG 620 V16, each with an electrical capacity of 1.26 MW, with a total licensed capacity of 5.048 MW, and is connected to a HEDNO substation. The biogas produced at the landfill feeds the station, generating renewable electricity, while the combustion of the biogas prevents the emission of greenhouse gases (specifically, methane CH4), significantly improving air quality. The station has created high-skilled jobs and employs local community personnel.
Biogas Power Plant of Western Macedonia
The Western Macedonia Power Plant was constructed and is operated by the Joint Venture of Western Macedonia Biogas Utilization HELECTOR – THALIS ES S.A., with participation of 60% and 40% respectively. It has a licensed capacity of 1.26 MW and consists of one biogas power generator of type DEUTZ TBG 620 V16 which utilizes the biogas produced from the landfill of the Central Facilities of Integrated Waste Management (CFIWM) of Western Macedonia. The unit started operations in May 2022.
Biogas utilization plants are equipped with modern technology and represent innovative projects that benefit the environment, improve people’s quality of life, reduce atmospheric pollutant emissions, and contribute to climate change mitigation. The collection and efficient energy use of biogas for the production of "green" energy is, therefore, an urgent necessity for drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites.
The four biogas energy utilization plants, with a total installed capacity of approximately 33 MW, produce over 200,000 MWh of green energy annually and utilize around 120 million cubic meters of biogas, helping to prevent the emission of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2 eq.) into the atmosphere. Specifically, from 2020 to 2022, they have contributed over 580,000 green MWh to the country's energy balance while avoiding nearly 3 million tonnes of CO2 eq. emissions, significantly improving air quality in the broader regions.
However, the contribution of these investments extends beyond environmental benefits, as they bolster local employment and ensure economic benefuts at a national level. The operation of these plants brings a range of advantages, such as the substitution of imported conventional fuels with domestic renewable energy sources, reduction of energy cost dependence on international fuel price fluctuations, and avoidance of expenditures on infrastructure to increase the transmission network's capacity, as energy production occurs locally.
Regional Units of Attica, Thessaloniki, Western Macedonia
On-site employees at each installation as well as the supporting services (departments and sections) at HELECTOR's headquarters.
HELECTOR possesses specialized expertise in generating electricity and/or cogeneration of electricity and heat from biogas produced at landfill sites (LFS). Having constructed and operated some of the largest landfill biogas utilization plants in Europe (BEAL S.A. with 24.22 MW and Mavrorachi Biogas with 3.52 MW), it has gained substantial specialization in building biogas networks, as well as in the maintenance and efficient operation of internal combustion engines that utilize this type of gas. These technologies have a significant environmental impact, as they minimize greenhouse gas emissions from landfills by capturing and utilizing the methane generated at these sites for energy.
