Finnish energy producer orders biomass pellet backup system from the UK

Amec Foster Wheeler, a UK engineering company, has been awarded a contract to supply a biomass dust combustion plant for Finnish utility company Seinäjoen Energia.

The plant will be operated as back-up for a peak load district heating plant and increase capacity to 120MWth.

Heavy fuel oil combustion will be replaced with biomass based fuels, including wood pellets, wood briquette, bark and forest residue pellets, dried forest residues, agrofuel pellets, peat pellets, and coal as a reserve fuel.

The installation work will begin during spring 2016 and the plant will be handed over to Seinäjoen Energia for commercial operation in December 2016.

The plant will be designed to comply with the emission requirements of the new environmental permit.

For this turnkey contract, Amec Foster Wheeler’s work scope includes the supply of a new 90MWth biomass pellet dust boiler with auxiliary equipment, modification of the existing oil fired boiler to 30MWth wood pellet firing, storage silos and handling equipment for biomass fuels, flue gas cleaning systems, stack, modifications to the boiler house, electrification, instrumentation and automation installed and commissioned.

“This investment increases significantly the share of renewable fuels in Seinäjoen Energia heat production,” said Martti Haapamäki, CEO of Seinäjoen Energia.