Alstom Secures Two U.K. Biomass Deals

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - French engineering firm Alstom S.A. (OTC:ALSMY) (Paris, France) has snapped up contracts to supply turbines for two U.K. biomass projects being developed by Danish power plant specialist, Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC).

The company will provide a 23-megawatt (MW) Geared Reaction steam turbine (GRT) for a waste wood combined heat and power (CHP) biomass plant in Widnes, near Liverpool and a larger 50 MW GRT for the Snetterton Biomass Plant, in East Anglia, which will burn energy crops such as straw, cereals and oilseed rape.

The Widnes project is being led by transport and energy group Stobart, which will hold a 40% stake. The state-owned Green Investment Bank (GiB) will hold a 49% stake while the remaining 11% will be controlled by BWSC, which is acting as the project's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. The plant will cost an estimated €140.4 million ($171 million) and will be capable of generating 20.2 MW of electricity (MWe) and 7.8 MW of heat. For additional information, see December 31, 2014, article - Liverpool Getting Wood Waste Power Plant.

Alstom's 50 MW GRT will go to the straw-fired Snetterton Biomass Plant which BWSC, along with Danish pension group PensionDanmark (Copenhagen), bought from British renewable energy company Eco2 Limited (Manchester, England) last December in a deal worth more than €202 million ($249 million). The plant will be capable of generating 44.2 MW and is expected to be operational by spring 2017 when it will generate enough power for approximately 68,000 homes.

BWSC bought its first straw-fired plant in the U.K. in August 2013 when it paid €187 million ($230 million) for the proposed 40-MW Brigg straw-fired biomass plant in Lincolnshire, England. For additional information, see August 23, 2013, article - Danes buy Straw-fired Power Plant in U.K..

The Widnes project will be commissioned by the end of 2016 and will provide enough power to supply 35,000 homes a year, as well as supplying heat to Stobart's adjacent wood-drying facility.

"Alstom is delighted to be working with BWSC in the U.K. once again, having already built a close working relationship with them on the Lisahally and Brigg projects," said Daniel Wahler, VP of Industrial Steam Turbines, Alstom.

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