Major upgrade to bring ‘new lease of life’ to energy recovery plant
A MAJOR upgrade of the Energy Recovery Plant in Lerwick costing nearly £2.9 million has been announced.
Danish company Babcock & Wilcox Volund A/S will supply and install essential upgrades to Shetland Islands Council’s plant, which will lead to improved efficiency and capacity, as well as reduce carbon emissions.
The project, which focuses on water cooling systems, should run until the end of October 2021.
A new water-fed heat exchanger will be installed within the furnace to replace the existing concrete and brick refractory walls.
The council said this will increase efficiency, thermal output and reliability – meaning there should be less frequent and lengthy shutdowns.
Other work will also be done to replace some areas of the plant which are now over 20 years old and which have reached the end of their working lives, such as replacement of the waste feed hopper system.
Director of infrastructure services at the council John Smith said: “This project will give a new lease of life to our ERP, future-proofing an ageing piece of infrastructure.
“It was ‘cutting edge’ when it was installed in 1999, and this project will bring it back to the forefront of energy from waste technology.
“It will mean improved efficiency and output, greater flexibility and capacity, and Lerwick’s district heating scheme will be less reliant on oil boilers during peak demand times, which will reduce carbon emissions.”
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