In Finland, combustion technology provider KPA Unicon, a Partnera Group company, has signed a contract with compatriot district heating company Kuhmon Lämpö Oy for the supply of a bioheat plant to Kuhmo.
The 15 MW Unicon Renefluid bioheat plant will produce heat for the City of Kuhmo and Kuhmo Oy’s sawmill. The plant will use bark, sawdust, and woodchips as fuel.
The commissioning of the district heating plant will take place in Autumn 2023.
The boiler investment will enable an increase in the production capacity of Kuhmo Oy’s sawmill and the expansion of the district heating network in the city
of Kuhmo, said Janne Heikkinen, Managing Director, Kuhmon Lämpö.
Turnkey delivery
The plant will be delivered as a turnkey solution that includes, in addition to the Unicon Renefluid fluidized bed (FB) boiler, electrical and automation, a modular boiler building, and fuel handling.
The bioheat plant also includes KPA Unicon’s own bag filter, which ensures that the plant’s emissions are clean and the air quality in the surrounding area remains good.
According to KPA Unicon, a bag filter is “a cost-effective way” to effectively remove hazardous particles from the flue gas.
The increase in heat production is both technically and logistically environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, as the biomass used in the plant comes from a sawmill on the same site. The boiler investment will also improve the security of district heating supply and maintenance planning in the future, said Janne Heikkinen.
The plant will be equipped with KPA Unicon’s PlantSys digital service platform
and the plant will have a secure remote control room system (PlantSys Operation) as well as a digital operating log (PlantSys Diary) and a reporting system (PlantSys Reporting).
The modern system is supported for years to come. During the warranty period, the plant is optimized and monitored with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), so that even the smallest possible problems are noticed immediately.
Extensive reporting cover production, consumption, and emissions.
Together with Kuhmon Lämpö Oy, we get a well-designed entity that will complement Kuhmon Lämpö Oy’s district heating and sawmill’s heat production by utilizing the sawmill’s by-products as biomass. Bag filter, on the other hand, ensures a cleaner environment and better air quality, said Jukka-Pekka Kovanen, Managing Director, KPA Unicon.