POWER December 2013 - 32

TOP PLANTS
Polaniec Green Unit, Polaniec,
Poland
Owner/operator: GDF SUEZ Energy Poland
Courtesy: GDF SUEZ
When Gérard Mestrallet, chairman and CEO of GDF SUEZ, set a target of doubling
the company's renewable energy capacity from 2007 to 2013, it seemed very ambitious.
Projects like the Polaniec Green Unit have helped the company reach its goal
with room to spare.
Aaron Larson
H
istorically, Poland has relied heavily
on coal for electricity generation.
International Energy Agency statistics
show that coal generation accounted for
86.5% of total electric power production in
2011. The Polaniec facility has been an important
contributor to that total over the years.
The plant, built in the late 1970s, began with
eight 200-MW coal-fired units. Through an
upgrade process, all the units were increased
to 225 MW by 1995, giving the facility a total
capacity of 1.8 GW.
Like many other European Union members,
the Polish government has committed
to changing its energy strategy. The country
identified several areas of focus, including
improving efficiency, enhancing security,
introducing nuclear, developing competitive
markets, reducing environmental impact,
and increasing the use of renewable
energy sources.
On Nov. 10, 2009, Poland's Council of
Ministers adopted a new energy policy consistent
with those goals. One of the objectives
of the policy was to increase the use of re32
newable
energy sources in the country's final
energy consumption to at least 15% by 2020
with further increases in the following years.
The Polaniec Green Unit provides a reliable
and consistent electricity supply, which supports
that policy.
Bit by Bit a Shift to Biomass
Grzegorz Gorski, CEO of GDF SUEZ Energy
Poland has commented that " 10 years
ago the idea was born, to do something better
for the environment and change the fuel
mix. " The plant began to slowly add biomass
to the blend, increasing the amount
almost every year. " It was a logical step to
make a fully dedicated unit, " he added in a
YouTube video.
So in 2007, the owners worked with
Tractebel Engineering to develop a feasibility
study. Recommendations were made
regarding the process and selection of cutting,
drying, and milling technologies. Suggestions
were based on safety aspects and
the capability to meet required particle size
distribution.
www.powermag.com
With this information in hand, the company
pressed forward, having Tractebel prepare
an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
The EIA looked at the possible replacement
of one of Polaniec's coal-fired boilers, Unit
8, with a new biomass-fired circulating fluidized
bed (CFB) boiler. In April 2010, a
contract was signed with Foster Wheeler to
design and construct the new unit.
Biomass Boiler Design
The Foster Wheeler design allows a variety
of biomasses to be burned efficiently and still
meet tight environmental regulations. Foster
Wheeler's Advanced Bio CFB (ABC) technology
enables a mix of 80% wood and 20%
agricultural by-products to be used for fuel in
the Polaniec Green Unit.
Foster Wheeler considers its ABC technology
to be state of the art for biomass
combustion. The ABC concept is the result
of continuous research and experience from
more than 400 commercial CFB references.
Foster Wheeler's responsibility for the project
included designing and supplying the
POWER | December 2013
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POWER December 2013

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