One of the Finnish environmental technology flagship projects gaining international attention is the new gasification based waste-to-energy plant solution, developed by Valmet. The development work started in Tampere in 2002, has proceeded to a commercial solution for Lahti Energia Oy's Kymijärvi II power plant, via various demonstration stages. Lahti Energia and Valmet will continue to develop the plant together even after the conclusion of the delivery.
Lahti Energia's effective power plant produces electricity and heat from recycled fuel. The electricity production capacity of the plant is 50 MW and heat production capacity 90 MW. It is among the most modern waste-to-energy combined heat and power facilities in Europe. The harmful components contained in waste can be safely removed before the gas is utilized in a conventional power plant process. This economically feasible method is also extremely efficient and cuts down on the use of fossil fuels.
The electricity generated in a traditional mass burn power plant only amounts to approximately 20% to 25% of the energy content of the waste. Thanks to the gasification technology developed by Valmet, it is now possible to achieve efficiency rates exceeding 30% - in other words, the same amount of waste yields around 30% to 50% more electricity. Efficiency in electricity generation is a major advantage and increases the competiveness of Valmet's gasification technology in the international markets, as in many countries the heat generated in the production process cannot be utilized for district heating.
