The move is part of a €20 million investment project on energy generation from biomass, which will significantly reduce fossil CO2 emissions as well as improving the mill’s profitability, the company said in a written statement.
“The objective of this energy project has been to increase the mill’s thermal and electrical energy generation, by increasing the installed equipment efficiency and the capacity of the forest waste treatment plant,” said Rafael Sarrionandia, General Manager of the Nervión facility.
The biomass cogeneration plant project started in 2009 with an engineering study and equipment purchases. In January 2011 the building phase began. A building has been constructed to house the new steam condensation turbine of 21,4 MW, together with four new refrigeration towers with a water circulation capacity of 2,500 m3/h in a continuous process.
By adding 120,000 MWh to annual on-site generation, the new plant boosts the mill's power capacity by 40 percent, enabling it to meet 65 percent of its power needs, the company said.
The biomass waste used as fuels is typically from black liquor (a sub-product obtained from the cooking of wood and bark from sawmills and from the debarking of pulp-logs used for the mill process). The new crushing line, however, allows other forest waste to be used such as land cleaning, pruning and thinning, enhancing sustainable forest management and helping to keep the forest clean.
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