Finland-based Valmet has bagged an order to deliver a biomass-fired 75MW circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler and a flue gas cleaning system to Air Water & Energia Power Onahama’s power plant in Japan.
Image: A Valmet CYMIC boiler installed by Stora Enso Langerbrugge. Photo: courtesy of Valmet.
According to Valmet, the new CFB boiler will help the power plant, located in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, to reach a stable power supply at high thermal efficiency. It will also enable the biomass power plant to considerably cut down on its CO2 emissions.
The Onahama power plant will have an annual power output of more than five million kWh. Its primary fuels include palm kernel shells and wood pellets among others, said Valmet.
All the power produced by the new Japanese biomass power plant will be delivered to the grid companies based on feed-in tariff scheme in Japan.
The Valmet CYMIC boiler to be delivered by the Finnish firm as part of the order is an advanced CFB boiler that is claimed to combine high-efficiency combustion of different solid fuels with low emissions.
Even when burning the solid fuels simultaneously, the high combustion efficiency is claimed to be achieved, despite their completely different calorific values, said the Finnish firm.
Valmet Energy business unit Vice President Kai Janhunen said: “High combustion efficiency in Valmet’s CYMIC boiler will be achieved due to good mixing and long char residence time.
“It is also important to have high steam parameters available for demanding fuels, like agro-based biomass, in order to meet the high expectations for boiler efficiency.”
The order, which is estimated to be about €40m, is the fifth one for Valmet’s CFB boiler from Japanese market in the last 24 months.
Valmet said that the installation work at the new power plant is slated to begin next year. Commercial operations are expected to start during the first half of 2021.
The Finnish firm will deliver the project in cooperation with Japan-based JFE Engineering, which is the EPC contractor for the Onahama biomass power plant.
JFE Engineering director and energy sector technical strategy & administration head Keiichi Nagaya said: “We like to collaborate with an experienced technology provider who can deliver high capacity biomass and multifuel boilers and has an extensive understanding of reheater systems.
“We strongly believe in Valmet’s unique finishing superheater and reheater technology and the fuel flexibility.”