Industriepark Höchst has just taken a big leap towards a more attractive future: Gerold Dieke, Council Chairman; Jürgen Vormann and Roland Mohr, CEO and COO of Infraserv Höchst; Rolf Hauerwas and Marcell Peuckert, Managing Directors of Thermal Conversion Compound Industriepark Höchst GmbH; and Masayoshi Hirose, Vice President of prime contractor Ebara, officially began construction on the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Industriepark Höchst. With a budget of EUR 300 million, this is the biggest single investment in the park's history. The facility is slated to come on stream in the second quarter of 2009.
"Industriepark Höchst is a major economic driver for the Rhine-Main region and the state of Hesse," said Chairman Dieke. "It is already one of the top chemical and pharmaceutical sites in the world. And with your infrastructure investments, Industriepark Höchst will remain dynamic and attractive." Dieke stressed that the WTE plant would use renewable energy and reduce fossil-fuel consumption: "This facility is not only green, but it delivers reasonably priced energy to park tenants." Two weeks ago, the Council Chairman had formally presented the written license for the plant. The license was granted after an exhaustive, in-depth licensing procedure concluded that the plant did not pose a risk to the environment.
Dynamic site with growing energy consumption
The plant's importance for the future of Industriepark Höchst was explained by Roland Mohr, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of infrastructure operator Infraserv Höchst. "The park's recent growth has not only driven up the number of production facilities and workers, but also energy demand," Mohr said. While electricity can be purchased and delivered through the public power grid, steam is another story: This essential medium for chemical and pharmaceutical producers cannot be transported over long distances. And so the only source of steam in Industriepark Höchst is Infraserv Höchst's power plant. "At present, we do not have a redundant supply of steam for around six weeks per year. If a boiler fails, some tenants would have to reduce production," noted Mohr. Hence the need to expand the park's energy-generation capacity. The WTE plant will feed around 70 megawatts of electricity or 250 metric tons of steam per hour into the park's supply networks. Jürgen Vormann, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infraserv Höchst, added, "The WTE plant is a major milestone in our efforts to establish a competitive, sustainable supply of energy in Industriepark Höchst. It also showcases Infraserv Höchst's extraordinary ability to execute a demanding project at the intersection of waste management and energy production."
Globally competitive prices with efficient energy production
The WTE plant fires refuse-derived fuel (RDF). Why choose RDF instead of natural gas or coal? "Because RDF is available locally, unlike coal or natural gas, which have to be imported," explained Mohr. Infraserv Höchst supplies tenants from an innovative mix of energy sources: Fossil fuels are burned in the existing power station; a one-year-old biogas plant produces energy from biosolids and organic waste; the heat generated at the sewage-sludge incinerator flows into Industriepark Höchst's supply network. The WTE plant is a crucial element of the holistic energy strategy. "Our energy infrastructure is highly efficient and keeps prices globally competitive so our customers can succeed in the worldwide marketplace," said Mohr.
Roland Mohr also addressed the worries expressed by communities living near Industriepark Höchst. "We certainly understand our neighbors' concerns. After all, waste incineration has a negative image in the public eye," said the COO. However, he noted that the facility met or fell below all the pollution limits and posed no risk to human health or the environment, as confirmed by the Darmstadt Regional Council in its exhaustive licensing procedure. Nor would the plant emit any noxious smells or noise. "That kind of pollution is something that neither the local community nor our customers in Industriepark Höchst would stand for," said Mohr to the audience, which included many tenant representatives. The traffic would not negatively affect the surrounding cities and towns either since the facility had excellent access to the highway system.
The plant is being built by Ebara, a Japanese multinational with a long track record in circulating fluidized bed technology. "We are proud to have been chosen as the prime contractor," said Masayoshi Hirose, Vice President Executive Director of Ebara. He described the WTE plant as a "pioneer project for solving environmental and energy-resource problems" whose impact would extend far beyond the Rhine-Main region. He had specifically flown in from Japan for the cornerstone-laying event. In his honor, the event included a Japanese ceremony in which the managing directors of Infraserv Höchst and Thermal Conversion Compound GmbH opened a cask of sake with Masayoshi Hirose. The rice wine stayed in the cask, however – alcohol consumption is not allowed in Industriepark Höchst. Prior to the sake ceremony, the CEO, COO, two managing directors and Council Chairman Dieke had placed newspapers, blueprints and several coins in the symbolic cornerstone. To these items, Mohr added several primary energy sources sealed in glass: coal, crude oil, natural gas, wood, uranium ore and – of course – refuse-derived fuel.
Circulating fluidized bed maximizes burnout
The plant's technology was described by Dirk Lorbach, the project manager. During combustion, the refuse-derived fuel – pre-sorted and prepared high-heat-value fractions of solid municipal waste – is fed into a circulating fluidized bed of quartz sand. This advanced technology maximizes burnout: The tiny, red-hot sand particles mix with the combustion air and the RDF, creating a particularly intense heat exchange. The plant only burns fuel that has been processed by the suppliers in accordance with pre-defined quality specifications. To ensure compliance, the fuel is examined in a quality control inspection at the power plant. The flue gases from combustion are directed to a powerful multi-stage gas-purification system that removes pollutants. Construction began in the southwestern corner of the park last May after a license was granted under § 8a of the German Federal Immissions-Control Act (BImSchG). The Darmstadt Regional Council then granted the final operating license in late February.
Laying the cornerstone for the waste-to-energy plant in Industriepark Höchst (left to right): Gerold Dieke, Council Chairman; Karl-Heinz Bürmann, President of the City Parliament of Frankfurt; Marcell Peuckert, Managing Director of T2C; Masayoshi Hirose, Vice President of Ebara GmbH; Rolf Hauerwas, Managing Director of T2C; Jürgen Vormann and Roland Mohr, CEO and COO of Infraserv Höchst; and Dirk Lorbach, the project manager.
© Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG, 2008
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This is what the waste-to-energy plant will look like once construction is finished in the southwest corner of Industriepark Höchst.
© Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG, 2008
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Construction on the waste-to-energy plant in Industriepark Höchst is already underway.
© Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG, 2008
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