Eneco breaks ground on new bioenergy project

Dutch electricity company Eneco has begun construction of a 49.9MW bioenergy plant at Delfzijl port in the Netherlands.

The plant is due to come online in 2013 and will see 300,000 tonnes of woodchips turned into power, which will provide electricity to around 120,000 homes.

The woodchips will arrive by ship, train and truck from the Netherlands and other nearby countries, with about 150 ship loads being delivered each year. It is anticipated the plant will produce 250,000 tonnes less CO₂ than what would normally be generated by a conventional-style power plant.

The plant has high electrical operation of 37% because of the high pressure and temperature that is created in the steam circuit, as well as the use of salt water to cool the system through the fluidised bed combustion technology.

This technology includes a hot sand bed to make sure the combustion of the biomass is optimised.

Companies working on the plant’s construction include AREVA Renewables GmbH (Germany), Ballast Nedam Infra bv (Netherlands) and Metso Power Oy (Finland), providing about 350 jobs during the construction process. Once completed, there will be 30 employment positions available.

Local resident Frits Alma came up with the name of the plant - Eneco Bio Golden Raand – which refers to the ‘golden edge’ of the Groningen province in the country, and also to the anthem of the region.