Siemens is to build two turnkey biomass fired power plants in Germany and Italy, worth in total 40 million euros. In Helbra, 50 km from Halle, there is to be a waste wood fired plant of around 6 MW for NEVAG (Neue Energie Verbund ADG). The principal investor in the plant is Umweltkontor Renewable Energy AG of Erkelenz. A second plant of 10 MW capacity is to be built in Cisterna di Latina near Rome for the Italian Idro Company srl, an independent power producer. Both plants are of the SiecoLine Biopower type, a modular type developed for the biomass market by Siemens in conjunction with various plant operators.
The Helbra plant is scheduled to go on lne in 2002. It will be fuelled by waste wood from light industry, municipal wood waste, landscape cuttings and forestry waste, to the tune of about 50 000 tonnes annually, and will provide heat for the city’s distict heating network and in the future maybe process steam for industry as well.
The Cisterna plant is scheduled for start up in summer 2002 and will burn olive residue and agricultrual residues as well as forestry waste. The power generated will be paid for under Italy’s renewables support schemes.
