Łaziska power station is another Company’s plant which in 2004 started attempts of biomass co-combustion.

The first trials of biomass co-combustion based on prepared blend of coal and wood chips took place in 2004. The concession granted to Łaziska allows to co-combust biomass in the form of deciduous and coniferous tree chips of < 10 mm granulation, without binders, of the calorific value of 7 MJ/kg - 18 MJ/kg as well as in the form of wood pulp of < 2mm diameter, which does not contain organic halogen compounds, heavy metals or their compounds created during wood processing with maintenance and plating substances in 225 MW power unit boilers. Wood pulp must not be made of wood from construction or demolition works.

Preparation of the blend of traditional fuel and biomass may take place at the power plant's premises. The mass fraction of biomass in the fuel flux must not exceed 10%.

The power plant is obliged to observe the parameters of the fuel used to produce electric power considered to be generated from renewable sources. Measurement systems should be adjusted to any type of the fuel, whereas monitoring equipment applied in the systems should be approved by appropriate measurement body.

Biomass co-combustion tests performed in 2004 and 2005 revealed that it is necessary to build a separate professional biomass conveying system complying with the concession granted by the President of Energy Regulatory Office. Completed tests and gained experience allowed Łaziska Power Plant and Energoprojekt (Katowice) to elaborate the outline of the target system. Askom fro Gliwice, launched works on the adjustment of its computer system for biomass estimation. On account of the necessity to distribute the financial load, the undertaking must be implemented in two stages: The first stage includes the construction of a simplified installation, whereas the second aims at construction of the target installation. The second stage is expected to be finished in 2007.

Accomplishment of work on creation of a simplified system complying with the concession requirements as well as authorizing documentation enabled launching of biomass co-combustion. Verification of measuring instruments was performed in difficult weather conditions. Furthermore, Askom introduced modifications to the control system facilitating reporting on transferred biomass.

Verification of belt scales was performed in January. This allowed starting co-combustion. Fraction of biomass in the coal blend is at the level of 3-5%.

(WG)

Chronological review

• April 2004 – the meeting of PKE SA Management Center on starting the first tests of co-combustion of prepared blend
• May 2004 – ZM 1 unit 10 – the first test of a prepared blend co-combustion,
• May 2004 – ZM 1 ÷ 5 unit 11- second test of co-combustion of 1000 tons of a prepared blend including 10% of biomass,
• July 2004 – ZM 1 ÷ -5 unit 11- test of co-combustion of 10,000 tons of a prepared blend including 10% of biomass, attended by Energopomiar from Gliwice,
• October 2004 – preparation of Certifying documentation of the installation for the commercial transactions of the energy from renewable sources by Energopomiar.
• December 2004 – by order of the Governor of the Silesia Region, Łaziska Power Plant obtained an integrated permission for fuel combustion installation, where the biomass in the form of wood chips was declared as fuel.
• February 2005 - order of the President of Energy Regulatory Office on granting PKE SA concession for combustion of conventional fuel and biomass for power units no 9, 10, 11 and 12.
• September 2005 – unit 10 – tests on co-combustion of a blend of coal and wood pulp (8%)
• September 2005 – units 9 and 12 – tests of co-combustion of wood pulp in all 225 MW units,
• September 2005 – unit 11 – tests on co-combustion of a blend of coal and wood chips (8%)
• January 2006 – setup of transport and measurement system for co-combustion of conventional fuels and biomass.