INDUSTRY NEWS Wood-fuelled power station SMALLTALK


Metso’s demerger approved


Image of the 15.8 MW biomass power station being built by BWSC in Northern Ireland.


A


contract to design and supply an 18 MW Geared Reaction steam turbine (GRT) has been


signed by Alstom with the Danish power plant specialist Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC). The steam turbine will be installed in a 15.8 MW biomass power station being built by BWSC in Northern Ireland. Alstom units in the UK, Hungary and Poland will be involved in the design and manufacture of the turbine.


The wood-fuelled power station on a ten acre site in Lisahally is the first of its kind in Ireland and also the first project to be developed and funded by ERE Developments. The plant, which was part-funded by the UK Government’s Green Investment Bank and Denmark’s Export Credit Agency (EKF), is expected to become operational in 2015.


Daniel Wahler, Alstom’s Vice- President for Industrial Steam Tur- bines, said: “The GRT utilises the


Generational attitudes to saving energy


A new study by Npower, one of the UK’s leading energy providers, has found that there is a definite disparity in energy-saving and eco-friendly attitudes between the young and old residents of the country. Over 55s are the most likely to install energy-saving LED light bulbs and solar panels to


cut down on their bills, whereas the younger generation installs ‘green’ technology not to cut down on bills, but to secure a good future for their children and reduce climate change and global warming.


The results of the survey showed that 85% of the over 55s said


Biofuel from wood


In Norway, until now, it has taken weeks to make biofuel from trees. This slow pace has been a bottleneck for the industry. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have now shortened the process to a few hours. The biggest challenge in


making biofuel from wood to date has been that it is a time- consuming process.


In fact, it can take several weeks to make biofuel for cars. This slow transformation of wood chips into ethanol has been a bottleneck for companies that want to make money from


latest Alstom technologies in blade designs to give the best perfor- mance, thus giving the perfect so- lution for any sub-60 MW biomass project where total plant efficiency is of the highest importance”. The GRT turbine is pre- assembled in the factory before shipment and requires a simple foundation to which it is easy to anchor the steam turbine generator package, saving money on installation and commissioning times.


they attempt to be more energy- efficient in their homes to reduce the amount they spend on bills and they did this by recycling, turning off appliances and installing energy-saving light bulbs. However, 42% of the younger generation declared that they couldn’t afford to be eco-friendly and that their main methods of cutting back were using a bicycle instead of a car and buying local goods rather than mass- manufactured products.


the process. With a new super enzyme on their side, the process can be completed in hours. The super enzyme works like a tiny wood machine that scratches up the surface of the wood so that other enzymes can gain access and break the hard surface down into sugar. The enzyme quite simply shoots holes into the wood surface with the help of oxygen bullets.


At an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in Helsinki, Finland, on 1 October, Metso Corporation approved the board of Directors’ proposed plan for the partial demerger of Metso into two companies. The Pulp, Paper and Power business will be transferred to the new company, Valmet Corporation, and the Mining, Construction and Automation businesses will remain part of Metso. The EGM also approved Articles of Association for Valmet Corporation, the number of members of its Board of Directors, the composition of the Board and remuneration. The planned registration date for completion of the demerger is 31 December, 2013.


Pellets more economical The latest market survey carried out by AVEBIOM to find out the average retail price for domestic pellets in November, 2013, shows that, despite a slight increase on the previous quarter, pellets continue to be a more economical solution than fossil fuel sources or electricity. The survey, which quizzed sector enterprises, checked the prices of three different formats: 15 kg sacks, a pallet of sacks and bulk pellets, all on a basis of Euros per tonne.


Danish port development


In Denmark, Steeper Energy and Aalborg University are planning to develop a 50,000- 100,000 metric ton wood- to-marine fuel facility at the port of Frederikshavn. Wood feedstock would be sourced from throughout the Nordic and Baltic countries, Canada and Russia. The port serves a marine fuel market of 900,000 tons per year, providing an opportunity to scale up the project in the future.


November 2013 3 3


INDUSTRY NEWS


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