Construction of 50 MWe/ 106 MWt coal-fired heating unit with heat accumulator at Elektrociepłownia Bielsko-Biała of TAURON Wytwarzanie has been completed. The combined heat and power unit was built using best available techniques and its regular operation is scheduled to start this fall, together with the start of the heating season.
The investment worth over PLN 617 million started at the end of 2011. Its execution is crucial for the heating system in Bielsko-Biała. The combined heat and power unit covers almost 100% of the town and neighboring area’s inhabitants’ demand for heat and electricity. The unit’s capacity was designed to best suit the local needs.
– The investment in Bielsko-Biała is yet another project completed by the TAURON Group in 2013. In Q1 and Q2 this year we already commissioned biomass-fired units at Jaworzno (50 MW), Stalowa Wola (20 MW) and Tychy (40 MW). On 20 June we signed agreement for construction of 50 MW coal-fired combined heat and power unit at Tychy and on 12 July we signed another agreement – for construction of 50 MW turbo generator at Dąbrowa Górnicza. Further decisions are yet before us – said Dariusz Lubera, CEO at TAURON Polska Energia. – These facts confirm that TAURON is advanced in the execution of the projects planned in its corporate strategy.
The Bielsko-Biała based unit is equipped with fluidized bed steam boiler of approx. 220 t/h capacity and 106 MWt/ 50 MWe back-pressure turbine. To compensate daily load fluctuations, particularly at the beginning and end of the heating season, a heat accumulator of 20 thousand cubic meters capacity was built. Moreover, to meet the peak demand for heat, two oil-fired peak boilers were installed of approx. 80 MWt total capacity.
– The unit, by introduction of high-efficiency technologies for combined heat and power generation, will replace obsolete, non-ecological generation capacities. The unit meets all the environment-protection standards and will also guarantee security of heat supply – informs Stanisław Tokarski, CEO at TAURON Wytwarzanie.
The 50 MW coal-fired unit with full infrastructure, ancillary devices and connections is the main element of the basic source of the heating system operating in the Bielsko-Biała area and will be used to meet the basic demand of the town during heating season. The heat will be delivered to Therma Municipal Company, who signed a long-term agreement for heat supply with TAURON Wytwarzanie.
The unit has high efficiency parameters while its impact on the environment has been significantly reduced. Compared to the existing units operated at Bielsko-Biała, its SO2 emission will be 90% lower and CO2 emission will be almost 25% lower. Dust emission will be almost 17 times lower and NOx emission 3 times lower.
Regular, continuous operation of the unit should commence in the fall – at the beginning of the heating season. It will be working under various loads, depending on the demand for heat. Thanks to the installed accumulator it will be possible to store the generated heat.
