Denmark-based biomass combustion specialists Aalborg Energie Technik a/s (AET) has announced that it has an order from MAV Elektrik Üretim Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S for a 35 MWe chicken litter-fired power plant in Turkey. AET will assist MAV Elektrik to achieve cleaner air, prevent water and soil contamination in addition to providing a commercial income from the chicken litter previously seen as a waste product.
Located in the agricultural Bolu District, the power from the MAV Elektrik Üretim Sanayi ve Ticaret (MAV) plant will be produced from waste, for which there is no waste management system today.
MAV is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by Gülsan Holding, a conglomerate involved in the production of yarn, non-woven materials, hygienic film, and carpets as well as property development and construction, car dealerships and rentals and power generation from hydroelectric and thermal power within Turkey.
MAV has an agreement with local farmers to collect the chicken litter and transport it to the site and use it for power production. The investment is part of Gülsan’s strategy to grow within power generation. The plant is planned to start power generation in the latter half of 2021. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
We are pleased to announce that AET will be the EPC supplier for MAV. AET has the technology, competence and know-how for similar-sized plants and their plants have more than 25 years’ operational experience with handling and combustion of chicken litter, commented Yusuf Özgül, Project Director, Gülsan.
Address energy and environmental concerns
Chicken is the main meat protein source in Turkey and the industry is growing rapidly. The number of farms in the region around the Bolu District is concentrated, and there is a growing waste problem from these farms. The waste from the chicken breeding cycle needs to be removed from the bird raising sheds.
This bedding waste is typically a mixture of rice husk and woodchips, mixed with the chicken manure and this will provide the fuel for the new plant.
At the same time, the Turkish Government is keen to develop renewable electricity and encourages chicken farmers not to dispose of chicken litter. The authorities are concerned over the environmental impacts resulting from the uncontrolled disposal of chicken litter such as odour, nutrient excess, and runoff leading to soil and water contamination, the spread of viral/bacterial chicken diseases, and risk to human health.
EPC contract
The plant will annually combust around 250 000 tonnes of biomass, which would otherwise be disposed of, and produce 35 MWe of green electricity for export to the grid instead. At the same time, the plant will produce about 35 000 tonnes of ash annually, which will be used as a bacteria-free and nutrient-rich fertiliser.
At AET we are very happy to be part of expanding the green energy portfolio for Gülsan Holding. The 35 MWe produced at MAV will supply green energy in Turkey to approximately 100.000 households, equivalent to a reduction of around 200 000 tonnes of CO2 per year if substituting a coal-fired plant, said Lars Kristensen, CEO of AET.
AET is responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of fuel handling system, AET Combustion System, AET Biomass Boiler, AET SNCR DeNOx System, boiler house, flue gas treatment, steam turbine, air-cooled condenser, mechanical and electrical balance of plant and the overall control system. MAV will supply civil works and buildings.
The AET Biomass Boiler will burn chicken litter and will be designed for a fuel heat input of 99.5 MWth and a boiler efficiency of 92 percent. The AET Combustion System and AET Biomass Boiler will be optimised for the chicken litter.
WID compliant
According to AET, the combination of the AET Combustion System and AET Biomass Boiler ensures low emissions, which comply with the European emission limits. The plant is designed in accordance with the EU’s Waste Incineration Directive (WID) to guarantee high fuel flexibility in the future.
With high chloride and high alkali levels in the chicken litter, all necessary precautions are taken to minimise slagging, fouling, and corrosion to have a reliable and continuous operation of the plant. The AET Biomass Boiler is therefore designed almost without refractory, which also reduces the cost of maintenance considerably and at the same time increases availability.
The plant is designed with redundancy in several areas to ensure high availability and the steam parameters and superheater materials are chosen to secure a long lifetime. The in-house power consumption for the power plant is low, around 2,5 percent of the fuel heat input, and this increases the net power output. This enables MAV to produce more power for export to the grid.
It’s a great step for AET to move into the Turkish market, and AET could not have chosen a better partner than Gülsan Holding to make this move with. It has been a pleasure to develop the MAV project together with the MAV Gülsan team – from the first day, there has been constructive cooperation in a very positive spirit, ended Erik Flemming Hansen, Sales Director, AET.
AET has previously supplied chicken litter-fired plants to the United Kingdom: FibroPower/Eye Power Station (world’s first chicken litter-fired plant) and FibroGen/Glanford Power Station.
