Engie commissions biomass heating plant
April 29, 2016
By Argus Media
April 29, 2016 - French utility Engie increased its fuel diversification with the commissioning of its converted Saint-Ouen biomass co-firing boiler in Paris, France, the firm said in its first-quarter 2016 results today.
The boiler began co-firing biomass in January, Engie said, and will use 41 per cent waste, 30 per cent gas, 16 per cent coal, 10 per cent biomass — chiefly steam-exploded black pellets — 2 per cent biofuel and 1 per cent geothermal energy. It has been converted from coal-fired to co-firing with €75mil. ($86mil. USD) invested in the conversion and infrastructure and is a step towards Engie’s three-year plan for energy transition towards low-carbon energy.
Expected black pellet demand is 140,000 t/yr and the pellets have been sourced from the US initially, as domestic French supply is not able to meet demand at present, Engie said, although it hopes to secure French supply in future tenders. Pellets are delivered by vessel to Rouen and from there to Paris by train.
The plant is operated by CPCU, a subsidiary of Engie with the city of Paris. The Paris heating network is France’s largest and will now be supplied with 50pc renewable energy, CPCU said.
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