UAB Kauno kogeneracinė jėgainė

UAB Kauno kogeneracinė jėgainė (often abbreviated as KKJ) is a Lithuanian energy company established to develop, own, and operate the Kaunas combined heat and power plant (cogeneration plant) that uses non-recyclable municipal waste and biomass to produce electricity and district heat. The company operates in the energy and waste-to-energy sectors and supplies heat to the Kaunas district heating network and electricity to the national grid.

Company Overview

Legal form: Uždaroji akcinė bendrovė (UAB) – Private limited liability company in Lithuania.
Industry: Energy, Waste-to-Energy (WtE), District Heating, Electricity Generation.
Founded: Mid-2010s (project company formed to deliver the Kaunas WtE cogeneration project; publicly reported project development milestones began circa 2015–2017).
Headquarters: Kaunas, Lithuania (registered office within Kaunas municipality; see Legal Information and Office Locations for status of exact address availability).

Legal Information

Įmonės kodas (Company code): Not confirmed in publicly accessible sources available to this research. Please verify via Lithuania’s Registrų centras (State Enterprise Centre of Registers) or Rekvizitai.lt.
PVM kodas (VAT code): Not confirmed in publicly accessible sources available to this research. Typically formatted as LTXXXXXXXXXXX; please verify via official registry sources.
Official website: kkj.lt (official project/company website; at times may also be referenced through partner sites and project pages).
Official email address: Not publicly confirmed. Standard corporate channels often include info@kkj.lt or a contact form via the official website; please check the website for the current contact method.
Registered office address: Kaunas, Lithuania. The precise street address and postal code were not accessible in current public sources reviewed; confirm via Registrų centras or the official website.
Phone number: Not publicly confirmed; see Contact Information section for guidance on obtaining verified numbers.

Business Operations

Main products/services:
- Thermal energy (district heat) supplied to the Kaunas district heating network.
- Electricity generated from waste and biomass, supplied to the Lithuanian national grid.
- Waste treatment services: thermal processing of non-recyclable municipal waste (energy recovery), reducing landfill volumes.
- Ash and residue management in compliance with environmental regulations.

Business model: The company’s revenue is based on a combination of thermal energy sales (to the district heating system), electricity sales (to the grid under applicable market mechanisms and support schemes), and gate fees for waste processing. Operating costs include fuel handling (municipal waste and biomass), plant operations and maintenance, environmental compliance, and financing costs for capital expenditures.

Technology: Modern waste-to-energy and biomass-fired cogeneration technology that converts non-recyclable waste into energy, delivering combined heat and power (CHP) with high efficiency and strict emissions controls aligned with EU Industrial Emissions Directive.

Market position: KKJ is one of Lithuania’s key cogeneration assets based in Kaunas. Alongside Vilniaus kogeneracinė jėgainė (VKJ) in Vilnius, KKJ plays a strategic role in Lithuania’s waste management and energy systems by reducing landfill, stabilizing district heating costs, and contributing baseload electricity.

History

Founding and development: The Kaunas cogeneration project was developed in the mid-2010s to address Lithuania’s environmental and energy policy goals: diverting municipal waste from landfills, producing renewable-like energy from waste, and improving district heating efficiency. UAB Kauno kogeneracinė jėgainė was established as the dedicated project company.

Joint venture structure: The project has been publicly described as a joint venture between Lithuania’s state energy group (historically Lietuvos energija, rebranded as Ignitis Group) and Fortum’s local operations (Fortum Heat Lietuva). Public reporting during project launch commonly referenced ownership proportions around 51% (Lietuvos energija/Ignitis Group) and 49% (Fortum Heat Lietuva). The current shareholding should be verified via the latest corporate filings, as ownership structures can change over time.

Construction and commissioning: Engineering, procurement, and construction were carried out through international contractors and suppliers specializing in WtE technology. Commissioning occurred around 2020–2021, with ramp-up testing phases leading to commercial operation. Since commissioning, KKJ has been integrated into Kaunas’ district heating and the national electricity market.

Waste supply arrangements: The plant’s municipal waste supply has involved cooperation with regional waste management centers and municipalities to ensure stable feedstock levels and contractually defined gate fees, supporting continuous CHP operation.

Financial Information

Investment size: Publicly reported indicative investment range for the Kaunas WtE cogeneration project has been in the order of EUR 150–180 million. Exact capex figures vary by source and should be confirmed against audited disclosures or shareholder annual reports.

Revenue: As a private Lithuanian UAB, KKJ does not routinely publish detailed revenue data publicly. Revenues originate from heat sales, electricity sales, and waste gate fees. Any specific annual turnover figures should be verified via registry filings or shareholder reporting.

Funding and support mechanisms: The project financing typically combines shareholder equity, commercial or institutional debt, and may engage market mechanisms related to renewable/waste-to-energy policies. The presence and scale of EU or national support instruments for KKJ should be confirmed through official program documentation and shareholder reports.

Ownership structure: Initially described as a joint venture between Lietuvos energija (Ignitis Group) and Fortum’s local entity (Fortum Heat Lietuva). For current ownership, consult the latest Ignitis Group annual reports, Fortum public disclosures, and Registrų centras records.

Leadership and Management

Vadovai (executives): Publicly accessible, verifiable listings of the CEO (direktorius) and other executives (pareigos) were not available in the sources consulted within this research window. Lithuanian corporate registries (Registrų centras) and the official website typically provide up-to-date names and positions.

Board members: As a joint venture project company, board composition may include representatives from shareholder organizations. Specific names and roles should be confirmed through official filings or shareholder reports.

Office Locations

Registered office (buveinė): Kaunas, Lithuania. The exact street address and postal code were not accessible in the sources consulted. As Lithuanian companies must maintain a registered office, the precise address and associated phone line should be confirmed via Registrų centras or Rekvizitai.lt.

Operational site: Kaunas cogeneration plant area (industrial site within Kaunas municipality). Visitor and logistics details, including security and delivery procedures, are typically managed through the plant’s operations office; contact details should be obtained from the official website.

Phone numbers: Not publicly confirmed in the sources consulted. Please refer to the official website or registry listings for current phone numbers by location.

Market Position

Competitors and peers: In Lithuania’s cogeneration and district heating landscape, key peers include Vilniaus kogeneracinė jėgainė (VKJ) and other CHP operators (including biomass CHP units operated by municipal district heating companies and independent power producers). In waste management, peer relationships involve regional waste management centers and private waste handlers.

Market share: KKJ provides a significant portion of Kaunas district heating load during heating seasons and contributes baseload electricity. Exact market share is dynamic and depends on heating demand, electricity market conditions, and waste feedstock volumes.

Competitive advantages: Integration of waste-to-energy with district heating, reduction of landfill dependence, predictable baseload generation, modern emissions control compliance, and strategic partnership framework with major energy sector shareholders.

Recent Developments

Operational stability and environmental performance: Since commissioning, KKJ has focused on achieving reliable throughput of municipal waste, optimizing heat and power output, and maintaining compliance with emissions standards. Improvements are periodically reported in shareholder and local energy sector updates.

Partnerships and supply contracts: Ongoing cooperation with municipal and regional waste management organizations ensures feedstock continuity. Any material changes in contracts or partnerships should be confirmed via official announcements.

Corporate changes: Lithuanian energy sector ownership structures have evolved in recent years (e.g., Lietuvos energija’s rebranding to Ignitis Group). Any adjustments to KKJ shareholding or governance after the project’s launch should be verified via current corporate disclosures.

Contact Information

Official website: kkj.lt
General inquiries email: Not publicly confirmed; check the official website for a contact form or published email (e.g., info@kkj.lt if provided).
Registered office address: Kaunas, Lithuania (exact street address to be confirmed).
Phone: Not publicly confirmed; refer to the official website or registry listings for current numbers.
Press and media: Media inquiries are often handled through shareholder communications (Ignitis Group media contacts) or the company’s general contact channel on the website.

Sources and References

Because some Lithuanian corporate identifiers (įmonės kodas, PVM kodas), specific addresses, and phone numbers are maintained in official registries and may change, please consult these authoritative sources for the most current, verified details:

- Registrų centras (State Enterprise Centre of Registers): https://www.registrucentras.lt/
- Rekvizitai.lt business directory (company profile pages): https://rekvizitai.lt/ (search for “UAB Kauno kogeneracinė jėgainė”)
- KKJ official website: https://kkj.lt/ (company overview, operations, and contact channels)
- Ignitis Group (shareholder) annual reports and press releases: https://www.ignitisgrupe.lt/
- Fortum (historic partner) Lithuania/Baltics pages and press materials: https://www.fortum.com/
- Lithuanian energy sector news portals and business media (e.g., Verslo žinios, Delfi, 15min) for project milestones and announcements.

Note: This profile synthesizes publicly available information up to the research cutoff and aims to be factual and neutral. Where specific legal or contact details could not be verified, this has been stated clearly. For contractual, legal, or operational decisions, always rely on primary sources (official registry extracts, audited reports, and the company’s own communications).