Italy-based Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology developer and supplier Turboden, a company within Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has announced it was selected to supply a 6.5 MW power only ORC unit for a biomass heat plant in Sheffield, UK. Kantor Energy Ltd., a design, engineering and building contractor specialised in district heating systems and principal EPC contractor for the project, selected Turboden Srl to supply a 6.5 MW ORC turbo-generator with air condensers. The plant will be built on a brownfield site in Holbrook Industrial Estate and utilise around 55 000 tonnes per annum of construction and demolition (C&D) wood as fuel. Turboden’s ORC unit will generate more than 6.5 MW of electricity and the facility will supply heat to the local district heat network. Once in operation, the plant will sell electricity to GDF Suez UK under a long-term off-take agreement. Veolia Energy Services Ltd has been awarded the long-term operation and maintenance contract on behalf of Equitix, whose services involve delivery and managing infrastructure projects from bidding and closing through to construction and service provision. The project has received £30 million in funds from the UK Green Investment MARKING 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EUR 12 MILLION INVESTMENT Austria is regarded by many as home to some of the world’s top manufacturers Bioenergy International No 83, 7-2015 21 OVER THE LAST FIVE DECADES, Austria based Polytechnik Luft- und Feuerungstechnik GmbH has moved from manufacturing vacuum and filter equipment to becoming one of the world’s leading suppliers in the design and manufacture of turnkey biomass incineration plants for heat and power. At the same time it has grown from a small business with only two employees in Triestingtal, Lower Austria into a global corporation that supplies incineration plants from 300 kW to 30 MW single-boiler capacities. Polytechnik offers specially developed incineration systems with a range of media carriers depending on the type and moisture content of the fuel and thermal end-use. Investing for the future The company is systematically preparing itself for the next stage of growth. At a recent function marking the company’s 50th anniversary, Polytechnik Group announced plans to invest EUR 12 million into the expansion of its four ISO 9001-certified European production plants. In doing so, the owners are making a clear commitment to Turboden to supply UK’s largest biomass ORC unit HEAT & POWER (Left): Wolfgang Sobotka, Deputy Govenor of Lower Austria, Leo Schirnhofer and Lukas Schirnhofer, Polytechnik Luft- und Feuerungstechnik GmbH, Hans- Jörg Schelling, Austrian Minister of Finance. and providers of biomass fired energy plants. Celebrating 50 years of business, family-owned Polytechnik Luft- und Feuerungstechnik GmbH, is one such company. Austria as their main location, and to industrial production in Europe. – We expect that global economic trends will stabilise, and accordingly, we are planning to invest EUR 12 million in industrial production in Europe by 2020, revealed Leo Schirnhofer, company head and majority owner. The international growth plan that Polytechnik started about 25 years ago is the reason for the company becoming a global player today. Pursuit of energy independence by major industrial groups is a key driver of its business model and valued clients include Europe’s largest aircraft manufacturer, British protein manufacturers and Russian wood processing companies: companies which themselves dominate world markets. – You can find our plants anywhere around the world from New Zealand to Siberia. As partners in technology development, we help customers put the energy supply of their production onto a carbonneutral basis, said Schirnhofer. The company intends to counter the recent downturn in growth of its established markets by opening up new export markets. – We are building a strong global presence in order to establish our approach to biomass energy production even more firmly in our core markets. Export and systematic innovation are our only chance of safeguarding highly skilled jobs in Austria, said Schirnhofer. Succession and ownership continuity ensured While the number of employees has increased over a hundredfold over the last four decades, the family spirit has remained strong throughout. Two generations Schirnhofer are at the helm, majority shareholder Leo Schirnhofer together with his son Lukas. – We define the term ’family’ quite broadly, remarked Leo Schirnhofer during the function adding that key managers who have systematically built their departments to their current size have shares in the company. Twenty-five or 30 years’ service are common at Polytechnik and typify the company’s long-term focus on its corporate culture. – Continuity and reliability are very important for Polytechnik customers as a customer relationship begins when we commission a plant that we have delivered, and continue when we maintain it later on. We have carefully prepared for the arrival of coming generations at the company’s top management. Sustainability is more than just a technological or ecological concept, remarked Schirnhofer. Investing in research & development In order to be at the leading edge of technology, Polytechnik plans to invest between 2.5 and 5 percent of its annual earnings in research and development. – There are renewable and locally available biogenic raw materials on every continent. For instance we know from our research that it is possible to generate efficient heating with miscanthus, peat or even poultry litter. Long transport routes become superfluous and international raw material dependencies, which are root-causes of many political conflicts, can be reduced. That makes us very flexible, ended a confident Leo Schirnhofer. Text: Alan Sherrard Photo: Conny de Beauclair BI83/5064/AS Bank (GIB) and Equitix. BI83/5107/AS – Turboden has over 300 ORC units under construction or in operation worldwide said Ilaria Peretti, North American Sales & Business Development Manager during WPAC in Halifax. Most are biomass applications.
Bioenergy International no 7 December 2015
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