Cosan Preparing to Inaugurate 50-Megawatt Biomass Power Plant in Brazil

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Cosan Group (Sao Paulo, Brazil), a Brazilian sugar and ethanol producer, has recently commenced the startup tests of the 50-megawatt (MW) Rafard power plant, which is located next to the Rafard sugar and ethanol mill and will be fueled by sugarcane bagasse. The plant is slated to begin commercial operation in early 2009.

The Rafard power plant will be equipped with two 25-MW steam turbines supplied by TGM Turbinas (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and two WEG (Santa Catarina, Brazil) generators. Rafard Sugar and Ethanol Mill already has a power station with a total power output of 10.2 MW. This will be kept in standby mode with the inauguration of the new biomass-fired station. The mill produces 27,000 bags of sugar per day and about 143,000 gallons of ethanol per day. The Rafard power station will supply clean energy to the ethanol facility, and the remaining electricity will be sold to the Brazilian national grid.

The Sao Paulo State Cogeneration Association recently announced that biomass-fired generation capacity could reach 15 gigawatts by 2015, with a total investment cost of $18 billion. The country has more than 200 cogeneration projects located in the states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goias.

Cosan Group is one of the largest sugar and ethanol producers in the world. The company owns and operates 18 manufacturing units and two port terminals in Brazil.

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