The first WoodTainer XXXL rail containers supplied by Innofreight have entered operation at the Siekierki combined heat and power plant in Warsaw. The containers are being introduced for biomass transport under a cooperation between ORLEN Termika, Innosped PL and Innofreight Solutions, with the aim of reducing the number of rail movements required to supply the plant.
Compared with the previously used XXL containers, the WoodTainer XXXL offers a loading volume of 57 m³, providing an additional 11 m³ per container. As a result, around one in five rail deliveries to the Siekierki CHP plant can be avoided while maintaining the same supply volumes.
The Innofreight containers have been designed to remain compatible with the existing unloading and handling infrastructure at the Siekierki site. This allows the new equipment to be introduced without technical modifications at the terminal. In the first stage, up to 40% of ORLEN Termika’s biomass suppliers serving the plant will be able to use the WoodTainer XXXL. The biomass used at Siekierki is sourced entirely from domestic suppliers and complies with sustainability requirements.
Biomass deliveries by rail play an important role in fuel supply to the Siekierki CHP plant, which is one of the main facilities within Warsaw’s district heating network, providing heat to 55% of Warsaw buildings and enough electricity to light more than 10 million 60-watt lightbulbs.
By increasing the payload per train using the WoodTainer XXXL from Innofreight, the logistics chain is expected to require fewer train paths, affecting both traffic levels in the urban area and overall transport expenditure.
ORLEN Termika operates five heat and power plants supplying Warsaw, including the Siekierki, Żerań and Pruszków CHP plants, as well as the Wola and Kawęczyn heating plants. As part of its decarbonisation programme, the company plans investment of around EUR 4.0 billion, by 2035 to modernise heat and electricity production in the capital.
