New Rumplmayr plant brings 80,000 tons of pellets from Enns

The sawmill company Rumplmayr has started pellet production. 23 million euros were invested in four silos, a drying plant and two pellet presses. Operations in Ennshafen started in October. On Wednesday, Friedrich Rumplmayr junior, Managing Director of Donausäge Rumplmayr, presented the pellet plant – proPellets boss Christian Rakos was also there.

The plant has a capacity of 80,000 tons, which corresponds to the consumption of more than 16,000 households. This makes Rumplmayr the second largest manufacturer in Upper Austria after RZ Pellets in Vöcklamarkt. So far, a total of 280,000 tons have been produced in Upper Austria, with a recent consumption of 220,000 tons.

Less chipboard

At Rumplmayr, the sawdust and wood shavings produced in the sawmill in Ennshafen are turned into pellets. On the one hand, the pellet market is growing, said Rumplmayr. On the other hand, the use of chips for chipboard in the wood-based materials industry has declined in favor of recycled waste wood. The location between Upper and Lower Austria, where most people heat with pellets, also speaks in favor of pellet production. It is sold through dealers, around a quarter is exported to Italy. In a second step, the factory capacity could be doubled, the decision should be made in 2024.

The energy used for pellet production is obtained from the thermal utilization of bark and other energy wood in our own biomass thermal power station. No additional fuel is consumed, said Rumplmayr: “And the public road network saves 4,500 truck journeys a year.” Overall, the location is energy self-sufficient and supplies excess energy.

Rumplmayr increases security of supply on the way to replacing oil and gas, said Rakos. In Austria, a total of ten more plants are being planned or under construction.