Valmet To Convert Coal-Fired Boiler In Finland To Pellet-Fired

Valmet will be converting Helen Ltd.’s coal-fired district heat boiler to bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) combustion to enable wood pellet firing at the Salmisaari ‘A’ power plant in Helsinki, Finland. The conversion promotes the company’s goal of phasing out coal, while at the same time strengthening the construction of a sustainable energy system.

“Our goal is carbon-neutral energy production in 2030. Sustainable bioenergy is part of the overall solution to achieve our goal. The versatile production structure ensures reliability of heat supply even in freezing weather. This project is an important step for us on the way to carbon neutrality. We trust Valmet’s abilities to complete this demanding project on time,” says Juhani Aaltonen, responsible for Helen’s sustainable energy solutions.

The project is a continuation of other projects the two companies have completed. Most recently, in 2018, Valmet started-up a 92 MW pellet-fired heating plant at the Salmisaari power plant area, and later this year the heat recovery plant belonging to the Vuosaari bio-heating plant will be completed.

This order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the second quarter 2023, and the converted boiler will be handed over to Helen in January 2025.

“Converting an existing coal-fired boiler to biofuel combustion is a quick and cost-effective way to transition from fossil to renewable fuels. Valmet has decades of experience of successful boiler conversions,” says Niina Ollikka, Director, Energy Business Unit, Rebuilds and Conversions, Valmet.

Valmet’s turnkey delivery includes a fuel conversion from pulverized coal to wood pellets on a hot water boiler. It will be modified to a bubbling fluidized bed boiler with a fuel capacity of 150 MW.

The delivery includes a flue gas cleaning system and a heat recovery system and modification to the Valmet DNA automation system, as well as all necessary auxiliary systems. After the conversion, the plant will produce district heat with extremely high efficiency—the flue gas temperature at the stack will be only 13° C.