Valmet to Supply 68 MW Biomass and Wood Waste to Energy Plant in Finland

The boiler plant will be constructed inside an existing boiler building, in the middle of the photo, from where an old coal-fired boiler, delivered by Tampella in 1963, will be demolished. Finnish pulp, paper and bioenergy technology and services supplier, Valmet, is to deliver a boiler plant that utilises biomass including wood waste and waste sludge from a paper mill to generat 68 MW of steam power to Nokianvirran Energia in Finland. Valmet said that the delivery will include a HYBEX boiler that employs the fluidised bed technology, flue gas purification equipment, and the plant's electrification and automation system. The company added that the boiler plant will be delivered for a new steam heat station to be built in Nokia. The total value of Nokianvirran Energia's investment is approximately €45 million, of which Valmet said its delivery will account for slightly more than a half. Local fuels The new heating station will produce process steam for the SCA Hygiene Products paper mill and the Nokian Renkaat factory, as well as district heat for Leppäkosken Lämpö's district heat customers. Natural gas previously used for energy production will be replaced with biofuels, such as forestry waste chips and whole tree chips. In addition, the boiler can utilise milled peat and sludge from the paper mill. Utility Leppäkosken Lämpö will distribute the district heat produced by the power plant to its customers through its heat network. "This investment will especially improve the price competitiveness of district heat compared with other heating methods," commented Juha Koskinen, the managing director of Leppäkosken Lämpö. For SCA, which manufactures tissue, the investment is expected to decrease the company's dependence on fossil natural gas. In addition the plant will recover energy from waste de-inking sludge derived from the tissue mill will also be used for energy production at the new power plant. Technologies Valmet explained that Nokianvirran Energia Oy's current plant consists of two gas-fired boilers with a steam power of 57 MW and 110 MW. The new 68 MW plant to be constructed will be integrated with the existing power plant. As gas is replaced by biofuels, carbon dioxide emissions in the area are expected decrease by 60,000-80,000 tonnes per year. The company noted that it has previously delivered several fluidised bed boilers of nearly the same capacity to district heating plants and industrial facilities. "Stricter emission standards and the need for using affordable bio and recycled fuels that are more demanding in terms of corrosion, present new challenges for the boiler design,” commented Jari Niemelä, sales director, EMEA, Valmet. “The design work for Nokianvirran Energia's new boiler has mostly been completed, and the manufacturing has been started at Valmet's Lapua workshop. According to the project schedule, steam production will begin in the spring of 2016," added Niemelä. Read More Valmet Supplies First for Kind Gasification Plant Producing Biofuel The Gothenburg Biomass Gasification Project (GoBiGas), which features a gasification system supplied and installed by Finnish paper pulp and biowaste treatment equipment manufacturer, Valmet has been officially inaugurated. ValMet-so What's Next The rationale behind Metso's recent demerger was to create two more focused companies, better able to utilise their respective strengths. But just what are the strengths of the newly formed Valmet, and why are they important for the waste industry? Waste Wood Pyrolysis Plant to Produce 50000 tpa of Bio-oil A new facility pyrolysis facility that will produce around 50,000 tonnes per year of bio-oil from waste wood in Joensuu, Finland has been commission by Finnish sustainable energy company, Fortum.