Contract covers biomass-fueled power

Foster Wheeler Energy Limited has been awarded a $53 million contract by SembCorp Utilities UK. SembCorp is creating a new stand-alone biomass-fueled power station at its Wilton International site on Teesside, northeast England. The project, known as 'Wilton 10', has a total investment cost of $114 million, and is one of the UK's largest biomass renewable energy projects.

The contract will be included in Foster Wheeler's first-quarter 2005 bookings.

'Foster Wheeler is pleased to be involved in this important biomass-to-energy project', said Steve Davies, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Foster Wheeler Energy.

'We are bringing together key strengths from within the company's global organisation'.

'Our project execution strategy combines the experience of our Engineering and Construction Group's Teesside office, which has an impressive project execution track record, with Foster Wheeler Global Power Group's proven bubbling fluidised-bed biomass combustion technology to deliver a total service to SembCorp to meet their business requirements'.

Foster Wheeler, as the main boiler contractor, will design, engineer, construct and commission the complete boiler island, including the flue gas treatment system.

The plant will burn green and recycled wood and will be required to meet the emission limits of the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive and Waste Incineration Directive.

It will also be subject to a best available techniques assessment subject to review by the environment agency of the UK.

The power plant will burn around 300,000 tonnes of wood a year.

This will come from a variety of sources, including specially grown energy crops, forestry logs, sawmill chips and recycled timber.

The Wilton 10 project is in response to a Government call, following the 1997 Kyoto Agreement, for more energy throughout the UK to be generated from renewable sources.

Commercial operation of the plant is expected in the second quarter of 2007.

The boiler will be designed to achieve maximum efficiency using high steam conditions and the new plant will supply 30MWe of electricity, enough to power around 30,000 homes.

This will be in addition to the 197MWe of electricity being supplied from the existing main power station.

'We were impressed with Foster Wheeler's track record in fluidised-bed biomass combustion'.

'By utilising their local office in Teesside, Foster Wheeler will be able to manage the execution of the project in close collaboration with SembCorp', commented Tony Lewis, Project Director, SembCorp Utilities UK.

'The conversion of biomass to energy for heat and power is a long tradition in the Scandinavian pulp and paper industry'.

'Since the 1970s, Foster Wheeler has supplied this industry with fluidised-bed boilers, gathering an immense experience base of different biomass fuels and demanding industrial requirements for reliability'.

'We are pleased to be able to take advantage of this experience with the Foster Wheeler Finnish boiler delivery', continued Lewis.