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The
project is a 15 MW biomass waste-to-energy
plant to be located at a stand-alone site
near the population center of Guatemala
City. The plant will be owned and operated
by Biomasa-Generacion Guatemala for the
purposes of generating electrical power
for sale to INDE. The primary fuel for the
plant will be residual biomass from within
the region, primarily logging residues and
saw mill wastes, both of which are
plentiful around the proposed site. The
project is expected to reduce
approximately 2.3 million metric tons of
CO2 emissions equivalent over the project
life (20 years).
Authorized
timber extraction in Guatemala was
expected to reach approximately 700,000
cubic meters in 1996, equaling the
production levels of earlier years. Wood
waste from timber harvesting is generally
left behind in the forest, where it can be
collected and transported for use as fuel
for the project.
Over
200 saw mills operate in the Guatemala
City region and its neighboring areas,
producing nearly 60 percent of the
nations' lumber. Using official government
timber production figures, it is estimated
that the Guatemala City region alone
produces approximately 238,000 tons of
logging residues and saw mill wastes per
year. Based on the quantities of timber
extraction permitted, and on lumber
production figures in the neighboring
regions, utilizing waste from outside the
immediate vicinity of the project site
could bring the total quantity of
available wood wastes to well over 1
million tons per year. Furthermore,
research conducted by the association of
forestry industries indicates that sawdust
is not presently used and chunk wood from
saw mill operations is sold at a low price
or given away to be used as fire wood.
Long-term
contracts for the supply of biomass wastes
will ensure adequate fuel availability,
and stable fuel costs. A Power Purchase
Agreement between Bio-Gen Guatemala and
INDE will guarantee revenues.
At
the waste processing facility, fuel will
be dropped into a receiving hopper and
conveyor where it will pass through an
electro magnet to remove ferrous scrap
materials. Fuel will then be passed
through a screen, which will separate
larger pieces of fuel for processing into
the correct size. Accepted fuel will be
funneled through a chute and spread evenly
onto a conveyor. A covered fuel house will
provide short-term storage (approximately
24 hours) and overflow will be transported
to a long-term storage pile. The fuel
preparation system will be designed to
supply the plant with fuel for continuous
operations at 110% load.
The
plant is expected to operate for a minimum
of 7500 hours per year, combusting wood
waste to generate electricity for sale to
INDE. The proposed boiler will be designed
for 155,000 pounds per hour of steam at
750 psig, 830 °F at the superheater
outlet. This steam flow expands through a
multi-stage turbine, condensing under
vacuum and driving a 15 MW net generator.
Electricity will be sent to and from the
plant via transmission lines
interconnected with the existing
transmission system. |
