The 3rd BEn European meeting took place on the 10th – 11th Sept. 2009 in Lack, Poland (a scenic region of the Gostynin Lake District). The meeting was hosted by the Polish project partners from the Association of Tourist Communes (StowGmin). RDI's BEn project officer, Kasia Zielewska represented the North East region.
During the two day meeting 14 participants from 7 collaborating organisations discussed the work, progress and further development of project BEn. The main emphasis was on:
• - submission of the first interim technical report to the European Commission
• - cooperation with two other EU Biomass Projects - BioEnerGIS and MakeItBe
• - close collaboration with local and regional stakeholders on the development of the GIS register and Biomass Master Plan
• - synchronisation of data collection processes in the 4 model regions
The prototype of the BEn GIS register is currently in development and its first presentation is planned during the next project meeting, which will be hosted by RDI in the North East of England in January 2010.
At the end of day one the BEn team also had a chance to visit the bio-energy installations in the Polish project model area, which included: a biomass boiler in a youth hostel in Senden, a biomass CHP unit in Lack and a straw burning boiler in a bioethanol plant in Trebki. At the end of the tour the work of the Ecological Cultural Association ZIARNO in Grzybow and its small scale ecological facilities (a biological wastewater treatment facility, mini wind turbine and a woodfuel bread oven) were presented to the group.
More information about the meeting is available on www.ben-project.eu.
