Biomass power generation grows in Baltic region

Two new biomass boiler plants in Finland and Estonia will provide steam and electric power from wood processing waste.

February 1, 2011

Porvoon Energia is working with MW Power (a joint venture of Metso and Wärtsilä) to build a biomass boiler plant for combined heat and power production (CHP) in the township of Tolkkinen, Finland. The biomass boiler plant will utilize bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) technology, burning a combination of wood chips, bark, and saw dust as the main fuel source. The plant will produce 38 MW of district heat to Porvoo area and 12 MW of electricity for the national grid.

Porvoon Energia is owned by the city of Porvoo. The company strives to use the broadest possible range of biomass based fuels for its electricity and heat generation. Already, the company produces about 70% of its electricity from renewable sources. The new power plant will be built on the same site with the current power plant built in 1979.

MW Power will also supply Oü Helme Energia with a biomass power plant for CHP in the township of Helme in Estonia. The delivery scope includes plant automation systems, which will be delivered by Metso’s Automation business line. The start-up of the plant is scheduled for the Q3, 2012.

This plant will also use BFB technology to burn a combination of spruce bark, chipped logging residues, wood chips, and milled peat as the main fuels. The plant will produce 15 MW of heat and 6.4 MW of electricity, which will partly be utilized in the customer’s own pellet factory and the rest will be distributed into national grid.

Oü Helme Energia is a subsidiary of AS Graanul Invest, which is a private capital based company dealing with bioenergy and renewable energy production. Today AS Graanul Invest is the biggest producer of pellets in the Baltics.

www.metso.com

Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander@cfemedia.com

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