Renewable energy in Kotka

The town of Kotka in Finland has done remarkable investment on wellfare of town population and companies by rearranging its energy business activities in 2003. Kotka sold the electricity activities and now Kotka Energy Ltd, which is 100 % owned by the town, concentrates on combined heat and power production (CHP) by renewable and recycled energy sources and natural gas. The turnover of the company was 21 MEUR in 2005. Sale of district heat was 365 GWh, process steam 140 GWh and electricity 152 GWh in 2005. In 2003 Kotka Energy built a Biofuel Power Plant of 65 MW in Hovinsaari, Kotka. The total investment cost of the plant was 25 MEUR. Because the plant is situated nearby the downtown, special attention was paid to the procession of combustion gases which are decontaminated at first by electric Thlter and then by fiue gas scrubber. Ash, particles and dust are removed by electric filter (resolution 99,82 %, particles). Gaseous impurities are removed by fiue gas scrubber so that the total resolution for entire plant is 99,94 %.

The Biofuel Boiler Plantburns wood fuels as bark, saw dust, wood chips, wood residues and recycled wood. In addition to these milled peat and REF1 are burned. Kotka Energy is also planning to assemble a new modern municipal waste incineration plant in order to produce industrial steam, electricity and district heat in CHP-process. The environmental permission has been admitted by the public authority for this project. Construction will start in 2006 and the plant will be in operation in 2008.

by Mr Pekka Sihvonen