Wärtsilä won a contract in November 2006 to supply the Belgian company Renogen SA with a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power plant for installation in the municipality of Amel in the Ardennes area of Belgium. This plant was handed over in January 2007. It has a net electrical power output of 3.3 MWe, and a thermal output of 10 MWth for district heating. The electrical output in condense mode operation is 5.3 MWe.

Wärtsilä supplied a BioPower 5 CEX plant which burns wood residues from the local forestry industry. In addition Wärtsilä supplied a 12 MWth oil-fuelled boiler. The Amel plant delivers hot water to two local factories, while the electricity generated is fed to the main grid. The plant is supported by financial aid from the Belgian government for producing electricity from renewable sources.

Wärtsilä’s biomass-fuelled plants are clean and efficient. They are practical solutions for meeting needs for renewable energy supplies with minimum environmental impact. They incorporate patented Wärtsilä BioGrate combustion technology to burn biomass fuels with high combustion efficiency and low NOx and CO emissions. The moisture content of the fuel can be as high as 55%. The SOx emissions of such wood-fuelled plants are negligible. The fly ash is removed from the flue gases in an electrostatic filter.

The BioPower plant operates on a closed steam water cycle separate from the hot water system. Superheated steam is generated in an efficient water-tube boiler, and supplied to a high-efficiency reaction-type condensing extraction steam turbine driving an alternator. Hot water is heated by steam extracted from the turbine.

BioPower plants are highly modular, being based on well-proven standardised components with a conservative design approach. The plants can thus be delivered and installed quickly. Their proven technology results in a reliable, durable plant. They are also highly automated, enabling unmanned operation.

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