Portuguese tissue manufacturer Renova has completed an €11 million decarbonisation project at its Factory 2 site in Torres Novas, centred on a new biomass energy plant that replaces most of the natural gas previously used to generate process heat for tissue production.
The Descarbonizar@Renova project, backed by roughly €5.8 million from the EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), has cut the site's Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by 50.6% against 2020 levels — well ahead of the original 43% target. Renova estimates the new plant will avoid around 54,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year, with natural gas now reserved as backup during maintenance or unplanned downtime.
The biomass unit can process up to 90 tonnes of biomass daily from two storage silos, burning at temperatures around 1,000°C to generate up to 18 tonnes of steam per hour. Resulting ash is collected for reuse, including in composting.
CEO Paulo Pereira da Silva called the project a major step in the company's energy transition, pointing to gains in efficiency, competitiveness and the sustainability credentials of its products. Renova's project director, Filipe Almeida, said the biomass plant is now the site's largest source of thermal energy.
The initiative sits alongside six other efficiency measures at the plant, including upgraded waste-heat recovery, expanded environmental monitoring, and installation of the company's first electric paper-drying unit. It builds on roughly €152 million Renova has invested at Torres Novas over the past 12 years across capacity, automation, digitalisation and process innovation.
Portugal's Secretary of State for Energy, Jean Barroca, attended the inauguration and pointed to industrial decarbonisation projects like Renova's as evidence that public investment can drive modernisation of Portuguese manufacturing.
Renova invests €11m in biomass plant to cut carbon footprint at Torres Novas
