In the Netherlands, Meerlanden NV, a municipal waste management services company has announced that it has put on hold plans for a biomass-fired heat plant for Park Rijk (Haarlemmermeer) on its industrial site in Rijsenhout citing a change in circumstances. Meerlanden had investigated whether pruning waste, a residual flow that becomes available during regular maintenance of trees and parks in the eight municipalities of its catchment area, can be used to generate bioheat for a new heat network.
According to Meerlanden, which also operates biogas and composting plant facilities in Rijsenhout for green waste sourced from around the Amsterdam-Schipol airport (AMS) area, a business case has been developed based on an estimate of costs and benefits. Companies in Park Rijk (Haarlemmermeer) have shown their willingness to act as consumers of bioheat to replace their gas-fired boilers.
The planned heat network between the proposed biomass heat plant in Rijsenhout and the customers in Park Rijk – also took into account future suppliers of residual heat such as nearby data centers providing the opportunity to connect and thus further expand the energy transition in Haarlemmermeer and the surrounding area.
Tech providers reluctant to tender
In the tender, Meerlanden set stricter requirements with regard to emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM) than currently required by law along with stipulations to not exceed existing noise and odour limitations at its Rijsenhout site.
The tightened requirements in the tender were, according to Meerlanden, in anticipation of stricter regulations enforcing additional measures to further reduce nitrogen emissions.
The tenders received for the proposed biomass heat plant and the heat network showed that suppliers are very reluctant to bid on biomass energy projects, at least in the Netherlands. The costs of a bioheat installation and the heating network are “too high to make a responsible investment”, Meerlanden said in a statement
According to Meerlanden, the Dutch public debate questioning the sustainability of (foreign) biomass, the uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic along with the stringent tender conditions on emissions have had a “strong price-pushing effect” on offers received while many suppliers refrained from making an offer.
As a result, Meerlanden has decided to suspend its bioheat project indefinitely.
