Finland-headed forest industry and energy technology major Valmet Oyj has announced that it will supply a multifuel power boiler and a flue gas cleaning system to Air Water & Energia Power Onahama Corporation at Onahama Plant located at Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The project will be delivered in cooperation with Valmet's Japanese partner, JFE Engineering Corporation (JFEE) that will act as engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project.
Air Water & Energia Power Onahama Corporation is a special purpose company (SPC) owned by Air Water Inc. and Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. According to Valmet, the new circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler will enable the power plant to achieve a stable power supply at high thermal efficiency while significantly reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Although undisclosed, the value of this kind of order is typically around EUR 40 million. Installation work is scheduled to start in 2019, and the plant will start commercial operation during the first half of 2021. The order is already the fifth received order for Valmet’s CFB boiler to the Japanese market during the last couple of years.
We like to collaborate with an experienced technology provider who can deliver high capacity biomass and multifuel boilers and has an extensive understanding of reheater systems. We strongly believe in Valmet’s unique finishing superheater and reheater technology and the fuel flexibility, said Keiichi Nagaya, Director, Head of Technical Strategy & Administration in Energy Sector, JFE Engineering.
Valmet’s delivery includes a biomass-fired 75 MWe CFB boiler (Valmet CYMIC) and a flue gas cleaning system. The annual output of the Onahama power plant will be over 5 GWh, and the main fuels to be used include palm kernel shells (PKS) and wood pellets. All the electricity generated will be supplied to the grid companies based on feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme in Japan.
High combustion efficiency in Valmet’s CYMIC boiler will be achieved due to good mixing and long char residence time. It is also important to have high steam parameters available for demanding fuels, like agro-based biomass, in order to meet the high expectations for boiler efficiency, said Kai Janhunen, Vice President, Energy business unit, Valmet.
