RWE Innogy starts work on UK's biggest biomass CHP plant
2 Dec 2010
Markinch, UK – RWE npower renewables, a UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy, has started to build its biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Markinch, Fife, Scotland – the biggest facility of its kind in the UK.
RWE Innogy is investing around Euro235 million in the construction of this biomass plant, which will have an installed output of 50MW and will be able to deliver up to 120 tonnes of industrial steam per hour.
The construction project is expected to take about two years and have 400 workers on-site at the same time.
“The construction of this plant will create some 40 permanent jobs in the operation of this plant and in the supply of raw materials. Moreover, the high level of cost effectiveness will secure another 540 jobs for our customer, Tullis Russel Papermakers,” says Stephan Lohr, MD of RWE Innogy Cogen GmbH.
At the moment, the paper manufacturing operation is receiving energy from a 60-year-old coal-fired power station. However, because of its age and high carbon emissions, continued operation will be impossible for both environmental and economic reasons.
The new biomass plant will run on wood residues and green wood from sustainable forestry, allowing carbon reductions of approx. 250ktpa compared with the current setup.
As this biomass project is of immense economic significance and is very much in line with climate policy goals, it will receive around Euro9 million of sponsorship money from the Scottish government.
RWE Innogy’s two main contractors in the construction of this facility at Markinch are Finland-based Metso and Aker Solutions of Norway.
Technology group Metso will be delivering and installing the boiler system and the flue gas cleaning system for the power plant.
The remaining plant construction will be handled by the engineering and construction company Aker Solutions.
