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About the coal and biomass fired Amer power plant of Dutch energy utility Essent, Geertruidenberg, the Netherlands. The Amer power plant is one of Europe's biggest biomass co-fired power plants.
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FuelThe two main types of fuel used for the two units at the Amer power plant are coal and clean biomass. The third type of fuel used is wood gas which is obtained by carrying out the degasification of construction timber and waste timber.Essent uses coal to fire the Amer power plant because we do not want our electricity generation activities to be dependent on one type of fuel as that would put the security of supply and affordability of electricity at risk. For that reason, we use a wide range of fuels to generate energy. We call those fuels our fuel mix. The main fuels which we use are natural gas, coal, biomass (wood pellets,
A bird’s-eye view of the Amer power plant
construction timber and waste timber), land-based wind, sea-based wind and hydroelectric power.
BiomassBiomass is the collective name for all kinds of organic material such as wood clippings and agricultural crops. The main type of biomass that Essent uses to generate electricity at the power plant comes in the form of so-called wood pellets. These will increasingly be produced using the wood from fast-growing conifers from production forests managed by RWE in the US state of Georgia. Wood pellets are also imported from Canada, for example. During their
growth, the trees absorb CO2 that is released again during combustion at the power plant. The CO2 cycle is short as a result of which no additional CO2 is released into the atmosphere and so this wood is a sustainable fuel. Consequently the co-firing of biomass means that the power plant can also produce Green Electricity. Moreover, the biomass that Essent uses has been awarded a Green Gold Label, which indicates that the origin of the biomass is known and that it meets important sustainability criteria.
Wood gasification installation at Amer 9The wood gasification installation uses advanced technology to gasify construction timber and waste timber in order to produce wood gas.The installation is the only one on this scale in Europe. The gas produced is purified and then used to co-fire the combustion boiler of unit 9. The current installation turns 100,000 tons of construction timber and waste timber into wood gas per annum. The gasification technology has been partly patented by Essent.
Green powerThe Amer power plant is the largest biomass co-fired power plant in Europe. Essent’s ambition is to increase the share of sustainable biomass used for co-firing. It is planning to build an additional landing quay for biomass, to install additional biomass silos, to build special mills for cutting up the biomass and to install conveyor belts to transport it. Tests carried out have successfully shown that a co-firing percentage of 50 per cent can be achieved. Economic feasibility and government policy and incentives have been the decisive factors which have shaped the realisation of these plans.
Excursion centreWould you like to visit the Amer power plant? Then you can. The Essent excursion centre organises tours for groups on request. The tours are held on weekdays during the morning or afternoon. The minimum number
of people required in order to make up a group is 10 and a minimum age applies. Tours are given free of charge but you will have to organise your own transport and pay your own costs for getting to and from the site. Please note that you will also have to provide proof of identity at the entrance to the site. The programme will take between 2 and 2½ hours.
For more information, please go to www.essent.nl/excursie.
Working at EssentWe are continuously looking for talented technical staff for posts on different levels, ranging from installers to project engineers and from environmental coordinators to project managers.
Want to find out more? Go to www.werkenbijessent.nl.
P 00
19Want to find out more? www.essent.eu
Amer power plant
The power plant and its surroundings
• Generating capacity of 1,245 megawatts
• Enough electricity for 3 million
households
• Heat production of 600 megawatts
• Combination of fossil and sustainable
fuels
• Ambition: To substantially increase
the share of biomass
• Biomass comes from sustainably
managed forests
• Essent is the largest producer of
sustainable energy in the Netherlands
In short
Imagine that you are a peregrine falcon in flight: look down at the ground and you will see villages, towns, woods, meadows, rivers and lakes go past. A bird’s-eye view of the Netherlands. Take a closer look and you will see Essent’s Amer power plant near to Geertruidenberg in Brabant, close to the Biesbosch National Park. Notice the ships on the Amer, the cooling towers, the ports where coal and biomass are imported, the production buildings and more. See how Essent carries out production… from a bird’s-eye view.
The Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg is one of Essent’s large production sites. The site consists of unit 8 which has been in operation since 1980 and unit 9 which has been in operation since 1993. The two units have a combined capacity of 1,245 megawatts which is enough to supply around 3 million households with electricity each year. The two units can also produce 600 megawatts of heat which is used for district heating as far as Tilburg and Breda and for heating greenhouses.
2
3
67
8
9
130 metrecooling tower
Two coal-/biomass-fired units
Coal storage facility the size of
4 football fields
2,750 tonsof coal in each
flat-bottom vessel
1
10
4
6
Loading/unloading
quay for ships
2,000 tonsof biomass in each flat-bottom vessel
5
1 All the coal arrives at the coal port by ship. Each flat-bottom vessel is equivalent to 35 trucks.
2 We can store 50 million kilos of coal in each ‘area’ at the coal storage facility. However, the coal is usually transported directly to the power plant.
3 Covered conveyor belts ensure the dust-free transportation of coal and biomass from the ships to the power plants or the storage facility.
4 The second type of fuel used at the Amer power plant — biomass — is unloaded at this quay. All biomass also arrives by ship. The wood pellets are sucked out of the hold using a large ‘vacuum cleaner’.
5 Different consignments of biomass can be stored separately in the four storage silos.
6 In the flue gas desulphurisation installation, flue gases are ‘washed’ using a mixture of limestone and water. The sulphur dioxide reacts with the limestone to produce pure gypsum which is used to make plaster board, for example.
7 In the fly ash traps, all the dust is removed from the flue gases using static electricity. This ‘fly ash’ is supplied to the concrete and cement industry.
8 In the DeNOx installation, a mixture of water and ammonia reduces the amount of nitrogen oxides (one of the causes of ‘acid’ rain) in the smoke.
9 The gypsum produced is stored in modified oil tanks.
10 The cooling tower is only used if there is a risk of the cooling water discharged into the Amer river making the river too hot.
Unit 8
645 MW
Unit 9
600 MW
175 metrechimney stack
Offices,warehouseand workshops
8Amercentrale
Amer
9
Amer power plant
The power plant and its surroundings
• Generating capacity of 1,245 megawatts
• Enough electricity for 3 million
households
• Heat production of 600 megawatts
• Combination of fossil and sustainable
fuels
• Ambition: To substantially increase
the share of biomass
• Biomass comes from sustainably
managed forests
• Essent is the largest producer of
sustainable energy in the Netherlands
In short
Imagine that you are a peregrine falcon in flight: look down at the ground and you will see villages, towns, woods, meadows, rivers and lakes go past. A bird’s-eye view of the Netherlands. Take a closer look and you will see Essent’s Amer power plant near to Geertruidenberg in Brabant, close to the Biesbosch National Park. Notice the ships on the Amer, the cooling towers, the ports where coal and biomass are imported, the production buildings and more. See how Essent carries out production… from a bird’s-eye view.
The Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg is one of Essent’s large production sites. The site consists of unit 8 which has been in operation since 1980 and unit 9 which has been in operation since 1993. The two units have a combined capacity of 1,245 megawatts which is enough to supply around 3 million households with electricity each year. The two units can also produce 600 megawatts of heat which is used for district heating as far as Tilburg and Breda and for heating greenhouses.
2
3
67
8
9
130 metrecooling tower
Two coal-/biomass-fired units
Coal storage facility the size of
4 football fields
2,750 tonsof coal in each
flat-bottom vessel
1
10
4
6
Loading/unloading
quay for ships
2,000 tonsof biomass in each flat-bottom vessel
5
1 All the coal arrives at the coal port by ship. Each flat-bottom vessel is equivalent to 35 trucks.
2 We can store 50 million kilos of coal in each ‘area’ at the coal storage facility. However, the coal is usually transported directly to the power plant.
3 Covered conveyor belts ensure the dust-free transportation of coal and biomass from the ships to the power plants or the storage facility.
4 The second type of fuel used at the Amer power plant — biomass — is unloaded at this quay. All biomass also arrives by ship. The wood pellets are sucked out of the hold using a large ‘vacuum cleaner’.
5 Different consignments of biomass can be stored separately in the four storage silos.
6 In the flue gas desulphurisation installation, flue gases are ‘washed’ using a mixture of limestone and water. The sulphur dioxide reacts with the limestone to produce pure gypsum which is used to make plaster board, for example.
7 In the fly ash traps, all the dust is removed from the flue gases using static electricity. This ‘fly ash’ is supplied to the concrete and cement industry.
8 In the DeNOx installation, a mixture of water and ammonia reduces the amount of nitrogen oxides (one of the causes of ‘acid’ rain) in the smoke.
9 The gypsum produced is stored in modified oil tanks.
10 The cooling tower is only used if there is a risk of the cooling water discharged into the Amer river making the river too hot.
Unit 8
645 MW
Unit 9
600 MW
175 metrechimney stack
Offices,warehouseand workshops
8Amercentrale
Amer
9
Amer power plant
The power plant and its surroundings
• Generating capacity of 1,245 megawatts
• Enough electricity for 3 million
households
• Heat production of 600 megawatts
• Combination of fossil and sustainable
fuels
• Ambition: To substantially increase
the share of biomass
• Biomass comes from sustainably
managed forests
• Essent is the largest producer of
sustainable energy in the Netherlands
In short
Imagine that you are a peregrine falcon in flight: look down at the ground and you will see villages, towns, woods, meadows, rivers and lakes go past. A bird’s-eye view of the Netherlands. Take a closer look and you will see Essent’s Amer power plant near to Geertruidenberg in Brabant, close to the Biesbosch National Park. Notice the ships on the Amer, the cooling towers, the ports where coal and biomass are imported, the production buildings and more. See how Essent carries out production… from a bird’s-eye view.
The Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg is one of Essent’s large production sites. The site consists of unit 8 which has been in operation since 1980 and unit 9 which has been in operation since 1993. The two units have a combined capacity of 1,245 megawatts which is enough to supply around 3 million households with electricity each year. The two units can also produce 600 megawatts of heat which is used for district heating as far as Tilburg and Breda and for heating greenhouses.
2
3
67
8
9
130 metrecooling tower
Two coal-/biomass-fired units
Coal storage facility the size of
4 football fields
2,750 tonsof coal in each
flat-bottom vessel
1
10
4
6
Loading/unloading
quay for ships
2,000 tonsof biomass in each flat-bottom vessel
5
1 All the coal arrives at the coal port by ship. Each flat-bottom vessel is equivalent to 35 trucks.
2 We can store 50 million kilos of coal in each ‘area’ at the coal storage facility. However, the coal is usually transported directly to the power plant.
3 Covered conveyor belts ensure the dust-free transportation of coal and biomass from the ships to the power plants or the storage facility.
4 The second type of fuel used at the Amer power plant — biomass — is unloaded at this quay. All biomass also arrives by ship. The wood pellets are sucked out of the hold using a large ‘vacuum cleaner’.
5 Different consignments of biomass can be stored separately in the four storage silos.
6 In the flue gas desulphurisation installation, flue gases are ‘washed’ using a mixture of limestone and water. The sulphur dioxide reacts with the limestone to produce pure gypsum which is used to make plaster board, for example.
7 In the fly ash traps, all the dust is removed from the flue gases using static electricity. This ‘fly ash’ is supplied to the concrete and cement industry.
8 In the DeNOx installation, a mixture of water and ammonia reduces the amount of nitrogen oxides (one of the causes of ‘acid’ rain) in the smoke.
9 The gypsum produced is stored in modified oil tanks.
10 The cooling tower is only used if there is a risk of the cooling water discharged into the Amer river making the river too hot.
Unit 8
645 MW
Unit 9
600 MW
175 metrechimney stack
Offices,warehouseand workshops
8Amercentrale
Amer
9
FuelThe two main types of fuel used for the two units at the Amer power plant are coal and clean biomass. The third type of fuel used is wood gas which is obtained by carrying out the degasification of construction timber and waste timber.Essent uses coal to fire the Amer power plant because we do not want our electricity generation activities to be dependent on one type of fuel as that would put the security of supply and affordability of electricity at risk. For that reason, we use a wide range of fuels to generate energy. We call those fuels our fuel mix. The main fuels which we use are natural gas, coal, biomass (wood pellets,
A bird’s-eye view of the Amer power plant
construction timber and waste timber), land-based wind, sea-based wind and hydroelectric power.
BiomassBiomass is the collective name for all kinds of organic material such as wood clippings and agricultural crops. The main type of biomass that Essent uses to generate electricity at the power plant comes in the form of so-called wood pellets. These will increasingly be produced using the wood from fast-growing conifers from production forests managed by RWE in the US state of Georgia. Wood pellets are also imported from Canada, for example. During their
growth, the trees absorb CO2 that is released again during combustion at the power plant. The CO2 cycle is short as a result of which no additional CO2 is released into the atmosphere and so this wood is a sustainable fuel. Consequently the co-firing of biomass means that the power plant can also produce Green Electricity. Moreover, the biomass that Essent uses has been awarded a Green Gold Label, which indicates that the origin of the biomass is known and that it meets important sustainability criteria.
Wood gasification installation at Amer 9The wood gasification installation uses advanced technology to gasify construction timber and waste timber in order to produce wood gas.The installation is the only one on this scale in Europe. The gas produced is purified and then used to co-fire the combustion boiler of unit 9. The current installation turns 100,000 tons of construction timber and waste timber into wood gas per annum. The gasification technology has been partly patented by Essent.
Green powerThe Amer power plant is the largest biomass co-fired power plant in Europe. Essent’s ambition is to increase the share of sustainable biomass used for co-firing. It is planning to build an additional landing quay for biomass, to install additional biomass silos, to build special mills for cutting up the biomass and to install conveyor belts to transport it. Tests carried out have successfully shown that a co-firing percentage of 50 per cent can be achieved. Economic feasibility and government policy and incentives have been the decisive factors which have shaped the realisation of these plans.
Excursion centreWould you like to visit the Amer power plant? Then you can. The Essent excursion centre organises tours for groups on request. The tours are held on weekdays during the morning or afternoon. The minimum number
of people required in order to make up a group is 10 and a minimum age applies. Tours are given free of charge but you will have to organise your own transport and pay your own costs for getting to and from the site. Please note that you will also have to provide proof of identity at the entrance to the site. The programme will take between 2 and 2½ hours.
For more information, please go to www.essent.nl/excursie.
Working at EssentWe are continuously looking for talented technical staff for posts on different levels, ranging from installers to project engineers and from environmental coordinators to project managers.
Want to find out more? Go to www.werkenbijessent.nl.
P 00
19Want to find out more? www.essent.eu
FuelThe two main types of fuel used for the two units at the Amer power plant are coal and clean biomass. The third type of fuel used is wood gas which is obtained by carrying out the degasification of construction timber and waste timber.Essent uses coal to fire the Amer power plant because we do not want our electricity generation activities to be dependent on one type of fuel as that would put the security of supply and affordability of electricity at risk. For that reason, we use a wide range of fuels to generate energy. We call those fuels our fuel mix. The main fuels which we use are natural gas, coal, biomass (wood pellets,
A bird’s-eye view of the Amer power plant
construction timber and waste timber), land-based wind, sea-based wind and hydroelectric power.
BiomassBiomass is the collective name for all kinds of organic material such as wood clippings and agricultural crops. The main type of biomass that Essent uses to generate electricity at the power plant comes in the form of so-called wood pellets. These will increasingly be produced using the wood from fast-growing conifers from production forests managed by RWE in the US state of Georgia. Wood pellets are also imported from Canada, for example. During their
growth, the trees absorb CO2 that is released again during combustion at the power plant. The CO2 cycle is short as a result of which no additional CO2 is released into the atmosphere and so this wood is a sustainable fuel. Consequently the co-firing of biomass means that the power plant can also produce Green Electricity. Moreover, the biomass that Essent uses has been awarded a Green Gold Label, which indicates that the origin of the biomass is known and that it meets important sustainability criteria.
Wood gasification installation at Amer 9The wood gasification installation uses advanced technology to gasify construction timber and waste timber in order to produce wood gas.The installation is the only one on this scale in Europe. The gas produced is purified and then used to co-fire the combustion boiler of unit 9. The current installation turns 100,000 tons of construction timber and waste timber into wood gas per annum. The gasification technology has been partly patented by Essent.
Green powerThe Amer power plant is the largest biomass co-fired power plant in Europe. Essent’s ambition is to increase the share of sustainable biomass used for co-firing. It is planning to build an additional landing quay for biomass, to install additional biomass silos, to build special mills for cutting up the biomass and to install conveyor belts to transport it. Tests carried out have successfully shown that a co-firing percentage of 50 per cent can be achieved. Economic feasibility and government policy and incentives have been the decisive factors which have shaped the realisation of these plans.
Excursion centreWould you like to visit the Amer power plant? Then you can. The Essent excursion centre organises tours for groups on request. The tours are held on weekdays during the morning or afternoon. The minimum number
of people required in order to make up a group is 10 and a minimum age applies. Tours are given free of charge but you will have to organise your own transport and pay your own costs for getting to and from the site. Please note that you will also have to provide proof of identity at the entrance to the site. The programme will take between 2 and 2½ hours.
For more information, please go to www.essent.nl/excursie.
Working at EssentWe are continuously looking for talented technical staff for posts on different levels, ranging from installers to project engineers and from environmental coordinators to project managers.
Want to find out more? Go to www.werkenbijessent.nl.
P 00
19Want to find out more? www.essent.eu
