Second UK biomass steam turbine awarded to Alstom

Alstom has signed a contract with Danish power plant specialist Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC) to design and supply a 45 MW Geared Reaction steam turbine (GRT) for the Brigg renewable energy plant in the UK.

The Brigg power station, which is expected to be operational from early 2016, will be commissioned primarily fuelled using locally sourced straw but will also burn wood. It is expected to produce enough energy to supply around 70,000 homes with power and will result in the displacement of around 300,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.

This is the second contract signed between the two companies for a UK GRT in a biomass power station, following an agreement last year on the 15.8 MW wood-fuelled Lisahally scheme in Northern Ireland.

Daniel Wahler, VP of Industrial Steam Turbines, said: Were delighted to be working with BWSC again on a second UK project that highlights the cutting edge design of our GRT technology. The biomass market requires a more efficient steam turbine that can offer more power to the network, and Alstoms GRT is designed to achieve this making it particularly effective in a growing market.

The GRT is pre-assembled in an Alstom facility before shipment and just requires a simple foundation to which the steam turbine generator package is anchored, as a result saving money during installation and commissioning.

Alstom has optimised the GRT for efficient and flexible power production, covering renewable and traditional fuel types in addition to industrial applications for process steam. It features a flexible modular concept and a plug-and-play package to reduce installation time.