European Commission Directorate General for Energy and Transport

Contract no: NNE5/2002/52: OPET CHP/DH Cluster

1


New biomass fired BFB boiler more efficient use
of local biomass fuels in nekoski, Finland



A 157 MW
th
BFB-based power plant supplying the energy needs of a forest products and chemicals
site employing some 1,200 people, and the local community, started operation at nekoski in
Central Finland in February 2003. Fired on local biofuels and peat, the plant is a turnkey delivery
from Foster Wheeler Energia Oy, and will more than double local use of indigenous fuels, making
the site almost self-sufficient in energy. The new plant will also see carbon dioxide emissions cut by
a third.

Fired on a combination of bark, sludge, forest residues,
wood residues, and peat, the new plant at nekoski
serves three customers - generating process steam and
electricity for M-reals paper and board mill and a
carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) production facility
operated by Noviant, and district heat for local
municipal use.

The plant replaces old, smaller-scale capacity and
offers significantly reduced emissions. This old
capacity was made up of various units, the largest of
which was a 78 MW fluidised bed unit converted from
an old recovery boiler.
Fired on bark from the sites pulp mill, it was too
small, however, to make full use of the bark available,
which was one reason behind the decision to go ahead
with the new plant.

The rest of local capacity was made up of two low-
pressure boilers (40 MW, 100 MW) fired on heavy fuel
oil. Increasing use of these units to meet the expanding
requirements of the pulp and paper mills would have
increased oil usage to as much as 35,000 t/a, at a time
when bark was being exported off site.



European Commission Directorate General for Energy and Transport
Contract no: NNE5/2002/52: OPET CHP/DH Cluster

2
G TURBINE
New plant
WATER
ESP
BOILER
11,5 bar
VKP-
SILI
3,5 bar


Process diagram of the new biomass plant.

In response to this challenge, M-real and Noviant and
neseudun Energia Oy, owned by the nearby town of
nekoski, set up a new company, nevoima Oy in
1999; M-reals parent company, Metsliitto, also owns
part of the company. M-real has 45%, Metsliitto and
Noviant 20% and neseudun Energia 15% of the
shares.

The new power plant project was launched at the end
of the same year and put out to competitive tender.

Foster Wheeler Energia won the contract with a
proposal for a turnkey power plant delivery based on a
157 MWth bubbling fluidised bed boiler and 38 MWe
steam turbine plant, generating 100 MW of process
team, 35 MW of electricity, and 20 MW of district
heat. The contract was signed in November 2000, with
commercial generation scheduled for October 2002.

nevoima Oy employes 26 persons, of which four
persons per shift are taking care of the operation of the
plant.

Investment cost of the renovation was 62 million and
Ministry of Trade and Industry gave 1 million
investment support to the plant.

A future solution lower emissions
The Botnia pulp mill supplies the new power plant with
bark and sludge. Other units at the site provide small
amounts of construction and packaging waste.
Together, these form around 50% of the fuel input.
Around 30% is provided by wood-based fuel, mainly
forest chips, bought in from Biowatti Oy.

The remaining 20% is made up of peat, supplied by
Vapo Oy. Woody-based fuel and peat are purchased
from Anekoski region and it employess 20 30
persons.



The Botnia pulp mill supplies the nekoski plant with
bark. Bark is shredded before feeding into the boiler.

The new plant has more than doubled energy
generation based on indigenous fuels and has made the
site virtually self-sufficient in energy. At the same
time, emissions of carbon dioxide were cut by about a
third compared to previous levels.


European Commission Directorate General for Energy and Transport
Contract no: NNE5/2002/52: OPET CHP/DH Cluster

3

nevoima Oy, nekoski, Finland
Bio fuel handling system
600 m
-l/h 3
600 m
-l/h 3
450 m -l/h
3
Metal
Boiler
silo
Boiler
silo
PEAT
BARK BARK
WOOD
30 - 180 m -l/h
3
1
0
-9
0
m
-l/h 3
1
0
-9
0
m
-l/h 3
1
0
-9
0
m
-l/h
3 1
0
-9
0
m
-l/h
3
30 - 180 m -l/h
3
Boiler 1
0
-9
0
m
-l/h 3
1
0
-9
0
m
-l/h
3


BFB designs of the type used at nevoima can be
fired on a very wide range of fuels at moisture levels
up to 60%. Many of these fuels perform poorly in more
traditional boilers or generate excess emissions.

Turnkey success
In addition to the boiler and turbine plants, Foster
Wheelers turnkey delivery includes fuel handling,
automation and instrumentation, water treatment
systems, cooling systems, steam distribution,
electrification, and ancillary equipment. All
construction work, including foundations, was also
contracted to Foster Wheeler. The only component that
was contracted separately was a 110 kV substation,
which ABB delivered directly to nevoima Oy.

The turnkey delivery, which was the first of its type in
Finland, succeeded even better than expected.
Cooperation with Foster Wheeler and its
subcontractors went smoothly, and the project went to
timetable. There was little or no friction between the
various interfaces of the project, which was a big plus,
as this can be a problem in more conventional types of
contracts, he says.

BFB boiler
Boiler output 157 MW
Steam flow 60.2 kg/s
Steam pressure 105 bar
Steam temperature 535
o
C
Emissions
SO
x

200 mg/Nm
3

NO
x

250 mg/Nm
3

Particulates 25 mg/Nm
3

Backpressure turbine
Electrical output 38 MW
Intermediate steam
pressure
11.5 bar
Intermediate output 20 MW
Low-pressure steam 3.5 bar
Low-pressure output 95 MW
Additional information

nevoima Oy
Mr Hannu Peltola
P.O. Box 200, FI-44101 nekoski
Tel. +358 1046 43810
hannu.peltola@aanevoima.fi

Foster Wheeler
Turnkey delivery, boiler
www.fwc.com

Raumaster Oy
Fuel handling systems
energy@raumaster.fi
www.raumaster.fi

Metso Automation
Automation
www.metsoautomation.fi

Siemens Oy
Turbine and generator
www.siemens.com

Alstom
ESP for flue gas handling
www.fi.alstom.com

ABB
110 kV substation
www.abb.com/motors&drives

Source: Energy in Finland 2003



OPET Finland, VTT Processes 03/2004
Eija Alakangas, eija.alakangas@vtt.fi