New Zealand's Department of Corrections has replaced the last coal-fired boiler at Invercargill Prison with a containerised wood pellet system supplied by Apricus Eco, as first reported by The Southland Times.
The 1MW ÖkoFEN boiler, housed in a modular 'Energy Box', is believed to be the largest ÖkoFEN installation in the world. Corrections said the move supports compliance with the Southland Regional Air Quality Plan and the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019, and is expected to cut emissions at the site by 99%, saving around 700 tonnes of carbon a year.
Fuel comes from Niagara Sawmilling Company Ltd, 10.4km away, which produces the pellets from its own recycled wood shavings and sawdust, giving the project a closed-loop local supply chain.
Apricus Eco has a growing public-sector pipeline in New Zealand, with pellet boiler projects under way or completed for the University of Waikato, Health New Zealand in Porirua, Palmerston North City Council, and a Ministry of Education school in Taranaki.
Invercargill Prison switches on world-leading pellet boiler system
