Waste, normally going for landfill, is becoming a valuable fuel that will drive an energy-from-waste (EfW) power plant in Hull, northeast England. The EPC contractor M+W Group has ordered Siemens steam turbines and generators to power the plant, which is scheduled to start supplying electricity in March 2018.
At the Hull EfW plant, an advanced gasification process generates super-heated steam which is then used by a steam turbine to generate electricity, saving fossil fuels such as coal and oil. On average, one litre of oil contains the same amount of energy as four kilograms of waste.
Making use of processed waste to generate electricity is key to lowering the UK’s carbon footprint. Worldwide, over 250 million tons of rubbish is currently used as fuel to produce energy every year.
Producing clean energy for Yorkshire
Construction works at the Energy Works EfW project kicked-off in January this year and the plant is meant to be connected to the grid in 2017, and be fully operational in early 2018. The facility is being built on two adjacent brownfield sites, covering an area of approximately 12 acres.
Independent power producer Energy Works will own and operate the plant which is expected to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of about 43,000 homes around Hull in east Yorkshire, UK. At the heart of this energy recovery facility will be a SST-600 steam turbine, manufactured in Görlitz, with an electrical capacity of 30 MW.
As per the order from M+W Group, Siemens will deliver the industrial steam turbine, a SGen5-100A generator, a SPPA-T3000 instrumentation and control system as well as a 35-MVA power transformer.
Confidence in enhanced turbine
By utilising efficient blading system in large-scale power generating units, an optimized steam path, and advanced casing design, Siemens’ Enhanced Platform Design has further increased efficiency.
"The steam turbine selection was critical in achieving the high efficiency energy recovery performance required. Early collaboration between our respective expert process engineers optimised the design and value for this flagship project whilst providing a solid foundation for the delivery and commissioning phase. Nick Dawber of M+W Group said.
The Siemens turbine met these M+W Group criteria, according to Dawner “along with the confidence that comes from working with a highly respected international engineering company.”