http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/9311/tilbury-power-station-completes-final-day-of-operation
By Erin Voegele | August 13, 2013
The U.K.’s largest biomass power plant is completing its final day of
operation. RWE npower has announced that the 750 MW Tilbury Power
Station will generate power for the last time on Aug. 13.
The facility,
originally fueled with coal, operated for 46 years.
In 2008, RWE made the decision to opt out the then 1,100 MW
coal-fired power plant under the E.U.’s Large Combustion Plant
Directive, a regulation that aims to reduce sulphur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides and particulate matter emissions from power stations and other
large industrial facilities. The decision to opt-out meant that the
plant would shut down after either 20,000 hours of operation or the end
of 2015, whichever was sooner. However, in 2010, RWE elected to use the
remaining hours of operation to trial the use of 100 percent biomass. The action effectively reduced the plant’s production capacity to 750 MW. The conversion was completed in late 2011.
According to information released by RWE on Aug. 12, the second phase
of the conversion would have required the closure of the plant under
the LCPD and the development of a full-scale biomass conversion to meet
new environmental standards. It would have taken approximately two years
to complete the upgrades. Information released by the company specifies
the move would have allowed the plant to operate for an additional 10
to 12 years.
According to the RWE, the U.K. Department of Climate Change confirmed
that the TIlbury project is ineligible for the new Contract for
Difference Support mechanism for lower carbon technologies. As such, the
company said it will not proceed with the second phase of the
conversion. RWE attributes the decision to the fact that the conversion
is not economically viable under the existing Renewable Obligation
mechanism.
Recent statistics released by the U.K. Department of Energy and
Climate Change indicate that power generation from plant biomass in the
U.K. increased by 69 percent during the first quarter of 2013 compared
to the same quarter of the prior year, rising from 1.1 terawatt hours
(TWh) to 1.8 TWh. The increase is attributed to the Tilbury power plant
becoming fully operational.
Data provided by RWE states that the Tilbury plant generated 1.27 TWh
of power during the first quarter of this year. That is more than 10
percent of the 12.4 TWh of total renewable electricity generated in the
U.K. during the same three-month period.
“This is a sad time for everyone at Tilbury Power Station, but I
would like to personally thank all of our staff past and present who
have contributed to the success of the station, particularly in the
delivery of such a pioneering development for UK biomass,” said Nigel
Staves, manager of Tilbury Power Station. “Tilbury remains an excellent
site for power generation and RWE will now review future plans for the
site. The lessons learned from the successful biomass conversion will be
shared across the RWE Generation portfolio, as RWE remains committed to
exploring new energy technologies that can provide energy solutions
that are both affordable and sustainable.”
Showing posts with label RWE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RWE. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Georgia Biomass outlook is strong
http://www.theblacksheartimes.com/articles/2013/07/20/opinion/doc51e586eabc61e257532059.txt
That our job-hungry area would be a focus for the renewable energy movement brought a flurry of welcome publicity. Then-Governor Sonny Perdue came for the groundbreaking of the $175 million Georgia Biomass plant later that year and, by mid-2011, the first of hundreds of truckloads of pine timber began rolling through the gates each week. Employing more than 80 people and indirectly creating hundreds more jobs, the Georgia Biomass plant has been a natural fit. This new industry needed our abundance of pine trees as a raw material, rail lines to ship the fuel pellets out and a nearby port at Savannah to send them on their way to Europe where the United Kingdom is leading the way on promoting the use of renewable energy sources.
The operation has not been without one or two hiccups. A wood dust explosion a year ago shut down production temporarily but, fortunately, injured no one. Today, Plant Manager Brad Mayhew is proud to say Georgia Biomass has not had a single lost-time injury on the job since opening over two years ago. The firm felt another kind of blow a few months ago, however, when RWE, one of Europe’s five leading electric and gas companies, and the owner of Georgia Biomass, announced they would not continue their focus on utilizing wood pellet technology, leading to fears the plant could be sold, or worse, shut down. Doomsayers around the area were quickly saying: “We knew it was too good to be true.”
But wait.
Georgia Biomass officials hosted a sit-down this week, to set the record straight for area political leaders and the press.
With demand far outstripping supply and Georgia Biomass’ entire production capability already sold through mid-2015, don’t expect this plant to go anywhere anytime soon.
“Last year, Georgia exported about a million tons of wood pellets,” said Georgia Biomass CEO James Roecker. “We did about 60% of that. By 2020, the Southeast will be shipping 6-7 million tons of pellets.”
In other words, there’s still lots of money to be made turning our tall pine trees into tiny pellets and Georgia Biomass plans to lead the way.
“This company is not currently up for sale by RWE, but we’ve had about 20 companies make inquiries if they ever do,” added Roecker.
All of this is good news for area businesses. Forest products have been a mainstay of this region’s economy for more than a century and Georgia Biomass has only further emphasized the impact of timber on so many of us.
Think about this. Last year Georgia Biomass purchased 54,000 truckloads of pine timber. Those trees came from within a 75-mile radius and put more than $40 million into the pockets of landowners, timber dealers, etc. The multiplier effect of gas purchases, trucks, tires and more means the impact of this plant represents hundreds of millions of dollars to this region.
The staggering number of trees consumed by this one plant often leads to the inevitable question: “How long can we continue to provide pine trees to meet this demand?”
The answer: As long as needed.
“Georgia is growing 20 million tons of trees more than are being harvested every year,” explains Georgia Biomass procurement forester Barry Parrish. “We’re only tapping 20 percent of the excess growth. There’s five million extra tons being grown just within our 75-mile radius.”
Eighty-five employees at GB are drawing paychecks. Hundreds, probably thousands, more are impacted by this new industry.
The sweet scent of pine chips lingers in the air around the Georgia Biomass plant.
And it smells like money.
• Robert M. Williams, Jr. is Editor & Publisher of The Times. Email: rwilliams@theblacksheartimes.com.
World’s largest fuel pellet plant sees a bright future for renewable energy production here
By Robert M. Williams, Jr.
The news came in early 2010 that Southeast Georgia would be home to the world’s largest producer of wood pellets for fuel to power Europe’s energy generating plants.That our job-hungry area would be a focus for the renewable energy movement brought a flurry of welcome publicity. Then-Governor Sonny Perdue came for the groundbreaking of the $175 million Georgia Biomass plant later that year and, by mid-2011, the first of hundreds of truckloads of pine timber began rolling through the gates each week. Employing more than 80 people and indirectly creating hundreds more jobs, the Georgia Biomass plant has been a natural fit. This new industry needed our abundance of pine trees as a raw material, rail lines to ship the fuel pellets out and a nearby port at Savannah to send them on their way to Europe where the United Kingdom is leading the way on promoting the use of renewable energy sources.
The operation has not been without one or two hiccups. A wood dust explosion a year ago shut down production temporarily but, fortunately, injured no one. Today, Plant Manager Brad Mayhew is proud to say Georgia Biomass has not had a single lost-time injury on the job since opening over two years ago. The firm felt another kind of blow a few months ago, however, when RWE, one of Europe’s five leading electric and gas companies, and the owner of Georgia Biomass, announced they would not continue their focus on utilizing wood pellet technology, leading to fears the plant could be sold, or worse, shut down. Doomsayers around the area were quickly saying: “We knew it was too good to be true.”
But wait.
Georgia Biomass officials hosted a sit-down this week, to set the record straight for area political leaders and the press.
With demand far outstripping supply and Georgia Biomass’ entire production capability already sold through mid-2015, don’t expect this plant to go anywhere anytime soon.
“Last year, Georgia exported about a million tons of wood pellets,” said Georgia Biomass CEO James Roecker. “We did about 60% of that. By 2020, the Southeast will be shipping 6-7 million tons of pellets.”
In other words, there’s still lots of money to be made turning our tall pine trees into tiny pellets and Georgia Biomass plans to lead the way.
“This company is not currently up for sale by RWE, but we’ve had about 20 companies make inquiries if they ever do,” added Roecker.
All of this is good news for area businesses. Forest products have been a mainstay of this region’s economy for more than a century and Georgia Biomass has only further emphasized the impact of timber on so many of us.
Think about this. Last year Georgia Biomass purchased 54,000 truckloads of pine timber. Those trees came from within a 75-mile radius and put more than $40 million into the pockets of landowners, timber dealers, etc. The multiplier effect of gas purchases, trucks, tires and more means the impact of this plant represents hundreds of millions of dollars to this region.
The staggering number of trees consumed by this one plant often leads to the inevitable question: “How long can we continue to provide pine trees to meet this demand?”
The answer: As long as needed.
“Georgia is growing 20 million tons of trees more than are being harvested every year,” explains Georgia Biomass procurement forester Barry Parrish. “We’re only tapping 20 percent of the excess growth. There’s five million extra tons being grown just within our 75-mile radius.”
Eighty-five employees at GB are drawing paychecks. Hundreds, probably thousands, more are impacted by this new industry.
The sweet scent of pine chips lingers in the air around the Georgia Biomass plant.
And it smells like money.
• Robert M. Williams, Jr. is Editor & Publisher of The Times. Email: rwilliams@theblacksheartimes.com.
Friday, July 5, 2013
RWE npower closes Tilbury biomass power station
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/05/rwe-npower-tilbury-biomass-power-station
Fiona Harvey and Natalie Starkey
The Guardian,
The blow to the UK's renewables industry was welcome news to some green campaigners who argue biomass is unsustainable
Fiona Harvey and Natalie Starkey
The Guardian,
The closure of the Tilbury biomass power station will result in the likely loss of 220 jobs. Photograph: Alamy
RWE npower is halting operations at its Tilbury biomass power
station, with the likely loss of 220 jobs, in a blow to Britain's
renewable power industry.
But some green campaigners welcomed the closure, which will take effect from the end of October, as they argue biomass use on a large scale is environmentally unsustainable.
The closure will also raise further concerns over the ability to "keep the lights on" as an increasing number of ageing power stations are taken out of service.
The German electricity generator blamed a lack of investment capacity and the difficulty in converting the plant – the world's biggest biomass power station, with a planned capacity of 750MW – to use wood, waste oil and other organic materials in place of coal.
Biomass investors have also been rattled by the government's planned changes in subsidies for biomass and other renewable forms of energy. Drax, Britain's biggest coal-fired power station, last year shelved plans for two new biomass power stations.
Tilbury has a complex history that closely reflects the developments in energy and environment policy over the past decade.
Originally a coal-fired plant, it fell foul of EU regulations intended to cut airborne pollutants such as sulphur, and was intended in 2008 to be gradually run down, with a closure date of 2015.
But in 2010, the station was given a new lease of life as RWE announced its intention to experiment with biomass, sourced from sustainable forests, energy crops and waste.
Last year, RWE applied for environmental permits that would have kept the plant open as the world's biggest biomass burner. The investment required would run to the low hundreds of millions of pounds, less than building a new power station but a sum that would require considerable confidence in the future of biomass, as coal is now at its lower price for years.
Now, the company has decided it has other investment priorities.
However, RWE is open to selling the power station to another operator, if a buyer can be found. The company is only mothballing the plant, not dismantling it.
Roger Miesen, chief technical officer at RWE Generation, said: "It is with regret that we are announcing the decision to halt the Tilbury biomass project. This decision has not been taken lightly. Tilbury remains a good site for future power generation. RWE still believes that biomass has a role to play in future power generation and will continue to progress options at strategic sites."
The closure has reopened debate over the future of biomass power generation in Britain.
The government supports biomass, as a low-carbon form of power generation compared with fossil fuels – the trees and plants used as fuel take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, so if they are regrown under environmentally sound conditions, burning them results in a net carbon saving as it displaces coal and gas.
However, that is not the whole story, according to many green campaigners. They point to problems with sourcing sufficient quantities of biomass, much of which has to be imported, and say that without strict regulations, growing trees and crops for biomass can lead to deforestation in developing countries. There are also concerns about the effects of the soot that comes from burning the organic fuel.
But some green campaigners welcomed the closure, which will take effect from the end of October, as they argue biomass use on a large scale is environmentally unsustainable.
The closure will also raise further concerns over the ability to "keep the lights on" as an increasing number of ageing power stations are taken out of service.
The German electricity generator blamed a lack of investment capacity and the difficulty in converting the plant – the world's biggest biomass power station, with a planned capacity of 750MW – to use wood, waste oil and other organic materials in place of coal.
Biomass investors have also been rattled by the government's planned changes in subsidies for biomass and other renewable forms of energy. Drax, Britain's biggest coal-fired power station, last year shelved plans for two new biomass power stations.
Tilbury has a complex history that closely reflects the developments in energy and environment policy over the past decade.
Originally a coal-fired plant, it fell foul of EU regulations intended to cut airborne pollutants such as sulphur, and was intended in 2008 to be gradually run down, with a closure date of 2015.
But in 2010, the station was given a new lease of life as RWE announced its intention to experiment with biomass, sourced from sustainable forests, energy crops and waste.
Last year, RWE applied for environmental permits that would have kept the plant open as the world's biggest biomass burner. The investment required would run to the low hundreds of millions of pounds, less than building a new power station but a sum that would require considerable confidence in the future of biomass, as coal is now at its lower price for years.
Now, the company has decided it has other investment priorities.
However, RWE is open to selling the power station to another operator, if a buyer can be found. The company is only mothballing the plant, not dismantling it.
Roger Miesen, chief technical officer at RWE Generation, said: "It is with regret that we are announcing the decision to halt the Tilbury biomass project. This decision has not been taken lightly. Tilbury remains a good site for future power generation. RWE still believes that biomass has a role to play in future power generation and will continue to progress options at strategic sites."
The closure has reopened debate over the future of biomass power generation in Britain.
The government supports biomass, as a low-carbon form of power generation compared with fossil fuels – the trees and plants used as fuel take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, so if they are regrown under environmentally sound conditions, burning them results in a net carbon saving as it displaces coal and gas.
However, that is not the whole story, according to many green campaigners. They point to problems with sourcing sufficient quantities of biomass, much of which has to be imported, and say that without strict regulations, growing trees and crops for biomass can lead to deforestation in developing countries. There are also concerns about the effects of the soot that comes from burning the organic fuel.
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