CASE STUDY OF BIOMASS PROJECT

IMPACT OF BIOMASS QUALITY ON BOILER OPERATING PARAMETRS

Edgars V īgants Director of “Ludzas Bio-Ener ăija” President of “Latvian District Heating Association”

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 111 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Content

Introduction Technical solutions Securing of Biomass Operational results New experience Conclusions

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 222 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Location

Ludza

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Co-operation partners

Lindeks ESSENT Municipality of Ludza supported by Dutch Government

Investor Investor Investor

Supply of wood Ludzas biomasss Biofuel Heat Bio-Energija Heat energy Heat energy > 29000 distribution end Heat MWh/year users production Light oil 14 MW

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 444 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Erection of new boiler house

Boilers and equipment was supplied by Dutch company KARA Energy Systems Building works were performed by local company Valmieras SCO centrs Installation was finished in December 2000

555

Technical solution

Chimney Chimney

Diesel oil

Flue gas filter Diesel boiler Wood chips 7 MW Fuel tank

Biomass Open storage Biomass boiler Transport storage with for biomass system 8 MW walking floor 7000 m 3

Network pumps Heat meters

Heat exchangers 2x8 MW District heating grid

Property of Ludza municipality

666 Property of LBE

Securing of Biomass

LBE boiler house (Ludza)

Lindeks - wood processing (Ludza, 8 km)

Verems - plywood production (Rezekne district, 27 km)

Junions - wood processing (Ludza, 2 km) Ludzas MRS - wood processing and forestry (Ludza district, 20-40 km) Graudi - cleaning of roadsides/under power lines (Ludza district, up to 40 km) Lapegles 2 - forestry (Ludza district, 15 km)

Nomis - wood processing and forestry (Rezekne district, 45 km) Vels 2 - wood processing and forestry ( and Kraslava district, up to 120 km) The most of suppliers are situated in 45 km radius

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Securing of biomass

Initially agreement on biomass supply was concluded between LBE and local wood processing company LINDEKS Biomass were paid according to produced MWh of heat Fuel moisture 40-60% on wet base The contract term is 15 years On 2005 LINDEKS reduced amount of output

888

Optimization of biomass consumption

Wood fuel consumption (loose cubic meters on 1 MWh heat energy) 2,00

1,90

1,80

1,70 m3/MWh

1,60

1,50

1,40 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Period Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 999 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Efficiency versus moisture content

90

88

86

84

82

80 Boiler efficiecy, % efficiecy, Boiler

78

76

74

72 30 40 50 60 70 Biomass moisture, % Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 101010 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Utilization factor for biomass boiler 100,0

90,0

80,0

70,0

60,0 2005 2005 50,0 2007 2008 40,0 Utilisation factor, % factor, Utilisation

30,0

20,0

10,0

0,0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Month Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 111111 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Operational results

Fuel balance

Estimated Fact 2008 Diesel oil, 75% 98% 30 Ls/MWh (43 EUR/MWh)

Wood fuel, 9,50 Ls/MWh 25% 2% (13,57 EUR/MWh )

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Operation costs using high quality biomass

Position Chips from Chips from Chips from wood- General Particular forest (ashes bushes (ashes processing (ashes indicators indicators, under 20 %) under 3 %) under 1,5 %) Ls/MWh Wood chips price, excl. VAT Ls/ 5,50 6,00 7,00 - - loose m 3 Wood chips amount, % 0 0 100 100 - Wood chips amount, loose m 3 0 0 43750 43750 -

Ash amount, t 0 0 167 167 -

Ash transportation expenses, Ls 0 0 3664 3664 0,116

Wood chip expenses, excl. VAT, Ls 0 0 306250 306250 9,72

Diesel fuel expenses, excl. VAT, Ls 0 0 0

Total expenses, excl. VAT, Ls 309914 9,83

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 131313 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Benefits

Positions Initial situation 2000 New situation 2001 Fuel Mazut (heavy oil) Wood fuel, diesel oil Steam boilers produced in 1967 New boiler equipment with a Equipment with a total capacity 55 tons/h total capacity 15 MW Efficiency 65 % 85 % Employees 18 8 20,00 Ls/MWh - cost price 13,67 Ls/MWh – tariff Heat price (28,57 EUR/MWh) (19,53 EUR/MWh)

SO 2 0,5 t/year ( 440 x ) CO 2 13 000 t/year Emissions CO 2 175 t/year ( 74 x) SO 2 220 t/year EUA (2005-2007) 39000

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New experience

Wood chips from forestry

3 Actual cost ~ 4 LVL /m loose

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Looking a head

Wood chips from wood-processing (ashes under 1,5%)

Wood chips from bushes (ashes under 3%)

Wood chips from forestry (ashes 3-20%)

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Securing of biomass

For reduction of the risk related to only one supplier, we have agreed that part of biomass is supplied by alternative suppliers – the biggest plywood producer “Latvijas Finieris” and local companies Payment for delivered biomass now is made per loose m 3 Fuel moisture 20-55% on wet base

171717

New experience

100,00 100 100,00

90 87,00 80 75,00 70

60 Wood chips from forestry % 50 Wood chips from bushes 40 Wood chips from wood processing 30

20 23

10 12 0 0 0 0 0 1 2005 2 2006 2007 Year 2008

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Fuel costs depending on the ash content of biomass 7,50

7,00

6,50

6,00 Fuel costs, Ls/loose m3 Ls/loose costs, Fuel

5,50

5,00 1 3 5 10 15 20 Ash content, % Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 191919 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

High ash content cause melting

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 202020 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Operation costs using different quality biomass

Position Chips from Chips from Chips from wood- General Particular forest (ashes bushes (ashes processing (ashes indicators indicators, under 20 %) under 3 %) under 1,5 %) Ls/MWh

Wood chips price, excl. VAT Ls/ 5,50 6,00 7,00 - - loose m 3 Wood chips amount, % 20 30 50 100 -

Wood chips amount, loose m 3 9692 13500 21875 45067 -

Ash amount, t 492 103 83 678 -

Ash transportation expenses, Ls 10823 2261 1832 14917 0,473

Wood chip expenses, excl. VAT, Ls 53306 81000 153125 287431 9,12

Diesel fuel expenses, excl. VAT, Ls 26250 26250 0,83

Total expenses, excl. VAT, Ls 328598 10,43

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 212121 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Specific cost depending from biomass quality

10,8 1,2

10,4 0,9

10

0,6

9,6 Expenses (ash, diesel), Ls/MWh diesel), (ash, Expenses Expenses (total, chips), Ls/MWh chips), (total, Expenses 0,3 9,2

8,8 0 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 Scenario Total Chips Ash Diesel oil Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 222222 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Comparison of heat tariffs

District Heating tariffs in Latvian towns 2008/ 2009 green - wood biomass ; red - with CHP ; blue - fossil fuels

90,00

80,00

70,00 63,85

60,00

50,00 EUR /MWh EUR

40,00

30,00

20,00 Ogre Talsi Cesis Ludza Valka Olaine Saldus Liepaja Sigulda Rujiena Kuldiga Tukums Limbazi Aluksne Vangazi Jurmala Madona Plavinas Kraslava Lielvarde Salaspils Jekabpils Aizkraukle Daugavpils gas Siltums" gas ī "R "Komf.", Tukums "Komf.",

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Conclusions

Cheaper fuel doesn't mean cheaper energy Heat production from biomass is feasible and cost- effective It is particularly important to determine the ash content in fuel in order to assess the total production costs It is possible to reduce ash content of biomass from forestry, providing accurate logging process

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 242424 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”

Contacts

Ludzas Bio-Ener ăija S. Eizensteina 29, Riga LV-1079 Phone: 67817090; fax: 67817087 E-mail: [email protected] www.balteneko.lv

Riga, 15 -16 September 2009 “Current and future woody biomass 252525 for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology”