Vaskiluodon Voima - Replacing Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy
Oct 26, 2015
The biggest biomass gasification plant in the world is the one Valmet completed in late 2012 in the city of Vaasa, Finland. The Valmet Gasifier (formerly CFB gasifier) for Vaskiluodon Voima Oy was built in response to the critical need to reduce the environmental load of traditional coal-fired power plant.
Flexible – and eco-friendly
By using a broad range of local and eco-friendlyoften-inexpensive biomass fuels – such as wood, peat and straw – the upgraded plant consumes one third less coal. Further, the plant generates both heat and electricity, resulting in a very high efficiency rating.
District heating is already environmentally friendly, but the biomass gasifier makes the district heating in Vaasa even more so. In part this is because the biomass to be gasified corresponds precisely to the amount of fuel required for the production of district heating and co-generated electricity.
Summary
Location
Vaskiluodon Voima, Vaasa, Finland
Customer challenge
To replace coal with biomass
Solution
Delivery included fuel handling, a large-scale dryer, and a circulating fluidized bed gasifier, modification work on the existing coal boiler, and a Valmet DNA automation system.
Result
Close to half of the coal used by the plant can be replaced with gasified biomass. This means the solution is highly environmentally friendly, it also enables the flexible use of different fuels and significantly extends the life of the current power plant.
