With the signing of the heat supply agreement with EVN, a landmark sustainable energy initiative has officially begun: starting at the end of 2027, renewable heat generated by the EGGER particleboard plant will be integrated into the district heating network of St. Pölten.
Together with the energy supplier EVN and the city of St. Pölten, the wood-based material manufacturer EGGER is implementing a project to modernise the energy supply at its plant in Unterradlberg (AT). EGGER is investing specifically in its local energy infrastructure for this purpose. The positive effects extend beyond the plant boundaries: in future, the plant will be integrated into the city’s district heating supply. On 18 June 2026, the project partners signed the heat supply contract, thereby officially setting the starting point for this pioneering project. The first heat delivery is planned for the end of 2027.
“Over the past few years, we have invested massively in renewable energy supply at our plant in several stages. In two biomass power plants, we generate renewable electricity and heat from biogenic fuels for our own processes. We produce at our plant in normal operation without natural gas and are already supplying heat to the neighbouring companies Egger Getränke and Sunpor Kunststoff GmbH. We are pleased that we can now take the next step as part of a comprehensively conceived regional energy concept and will soon be able to supply district heating to the city of St. Pölten,” says Martin Wurzl, EGGER Plant Director Technical/Production.
“Since 2009, we have been supplying the state capital St. Pölten via our 30 km transport pipeline from Dürnrohr with sustainable waste heat from the waste treatment plant. This year, our biomass heating power plant in St. Pölten also went into operation. With the heat partnership now finalised for feeding in industrial heat, we are setting another important building block for an efficient, secure and environmentally friendly district heating supply for the state capital,” explains EVN Executive Board spokesman Stefan Szyszkowitz.
Technical innovation
A central component of the investment strategy is the installation of a new steam turbine at the EGGER plant in Unterradlberg. Utilizing steam produced by biomass boiler 1, the turbine will generate approximately 4.77 MW of electricity for on-site operations, increasing the plant’s self-generated electricity share to nearly 87%. The exhaust steam produced during this process will subsequently be utilized for district heating purposes. Furthermore, an additional heat pump system will supply thermal energy to the district heating network by harnessing turbine exhaust steam from the existing turbine 2 connected to biomass boiler 2.
The fuels used will be for example wood dust from our own production, wood waste and biogenic production residues that can no longer be used as materials. In total, around 10 MW of hot water are to be delivered into the district heating pipeline during the winter months, which corresponds to around 10% of the heat demand of district heating customers in St. Pölten. It is particularly noteworthy that this additional benefit is achieved without a higher fuel input, meaning the overall efficiency of the energy facilities can be significantly increased. A key advantage: in this way, the use of natural gas in district heating network operations can be further reduced and replaced by heat from renewable energy.
Strong partnership for the region
A project of this size can only succeed with good and strategic partners. A viable energy concept was developed in close cooperation with EVN and the city of St. Pölten. The district heating pipeline runs close to the EGGER plant, and a transfer point has already been planned. EVN is taking over the connection to the existing network and is building the necessary infrastructure from the transfer point at the power plant to the existing district heating pipeline. This integrates the heat generated efficiently into the city’s supply system. The project schedule provides for EGGER’s first heat delivery in the 4th quarter of 2027.
Positioning within EGGER’s climate strategy
EGGER follows a well-defined climate strategy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The company has committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 and is implementing extensive measures to reach this objective, particularly through the decarbonisation of energy systems across its production facilities. In this context, the development of site-specific energy projects represents a key element of EGGER’s long-term sustainability roadmap.
The project in Unterradlberg combines numerous positive aspects: more self-generated electricity from renewable sources at the EGGER plant, no additional fuel requirements, more efficient use of existing energy, and connection to the district heating network of the city of St. Pölten. In this way, it makes an important contribution to the future-proof energy supply of the region.
EGGER, The family company, founded in 1961, is a leading international manufacturer of wood-based materials with approximately 12,000 employees and 22 production plants worldwide. EGGER is a full-range supplier for furniture and interior design, for wood construction and for wood-based flooring, making it a reliable partner for the furniture industry, wood and flooring distributors and DIY stores. In the 2024/2025 financial year, the EGGER Group generated a turnover of EUR 4.13 billion.
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