Madrid, Spain - A contract with a total value of about $30 million (USD) was signed last month between a consortium under the lead of ABB and Ebara Corporation, Japan.
Ebara based in Japan, has extensive experience with circulating fluidized beds and is the general contractor for the plant. ABB has been contracted to supply the total electrical and automation system including transformers, MV and LV switchgear, control system 800xA with Profibus connections and emission control.
In its role as operator of the Höchst Industrial Park, Infraserv Höchst invests in the site infrastructure. The Höchst Industrial Park is of a significant size containing 80 businesses and employing 22,000 people. The Industrial Park's dynamism is best illustrated by the total investment between 2000 and 2003, when the companies occupying the industrial area invested more than € 1.6 billion.
Refuse derived fuel pellets
The new CHP plant is designed to produce electricity and process steam from up to 675,000 tonnes of Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) per annum in an internally circulating fluidized bed. RDF is essentially the higher calorific value (CV) element of municipal and commercial waste which is prepared by sorting and shredding. The use of RDF effectively displaces the use of fossil fuels, though a minor element of the RDF, such as plastics, is itself derived from mineral oils.
The new power plant in Industriepark Höchst, will be the largest of its kind in Germany and will add substantial recycling capacity for RDF in the Rhine-Main region. It will operate in cogeneration mode (CHP) and is expected to generate 70 MW of power and in addition 250 tonnes of steam per hour.
The Infraserv Höchst plant is expected to enter commercial operation in 2009 and has been designed to accept a wide range of RDF.
ABB Group
The preferred solution offered by ABB is a state-of-the-art, totally integrated and compatible full scope solution, offering an excellent price-performance ratio according to the company. ABB says that due to the Profibus connections the customer will receive a high degree of standardization for planning and documentation and an extremely flexible system in regards to operation and maintenance as well as for future extensions.
The company says that MNSiS is the first integrated system for low-voltage MCC applications and includes comprehensive motor control, monitoring, protection, and communication capabilities to higher-level control systems. MNSiS also provides flexibility for engineers, system integrators and end users by way of configurable, standard control modules which allow ongoing modifications and enhancements.
ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enables utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 109,000 people.