Bilfinger Berger, a German construction and infrastructure services company, has said that it will transform 180MW Rodenhuize coal-fired power plant near the Belgian town of Gent, operated by Electrabel, to biomass.

In addition to biomass, excess blast furnace gas from a neighboring steel plant will also be used for future power generation. The power plant generates power for the equivalent of 320,000 households. The order has a volume of EUR20m.

The services provided by Bilfinger Berger Power Services will include the conversion of 24 existing burners and rehabilitation of ventilation ducts and the delivery and installation of 12 new burners for the blast furnace gas. Conversion works are scheduled for completion in spring 2011.

Bilfinger Berger said that it is anticipating further similar orders in the power services segment, as the relative importance of environmentally friendly technologies and the application of renewable energy in power plant technology continues to increase.

The company has been into sustainable energy generation for many years, with services for efficiency improvements in power plants, repair and maintenance works for solar power plants and the installation and maintenance of wind turbines.