We acted as Developer, Investor and Operator.

The waste wood Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Project in Ham-Tessenderlo (Province of Limburg, Belgium) with a 8.6 MWe electrical output and a 14 MWth thermal output and representing a total investment of some 36 million EURO, was launched in the year 2008 by the Brussels’ stock-listed 4ENERGYINVEST GROUP (“4EI”, acting as developer, investor and operator) in follow-up of its previous renewable energy initiative in Amel (Province of Liège, Belgium) with a 2 times 5.5 MWe electrical output and a 2 times 6 MWth thermal output and representing a total investment of some 25 million EURO.

Whereas the Amel CHP project was based on a Wärtsilä rotating grate boiler technology, 4EI decided to build its investment in Ham-Tessenderlo based on a Metso-Wärtsilä-Power (MWP) bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boiler technology allowing for higher steam pressures and improved power efficiencies with an aim to reproduce the same approach in its European portfolio development (Germany, United Kingdom, etc.).

One of the characteristics of the waste wood biomass that was used in this 4EI Project was the relative humidity of the waste wood biomass and that could reach up to 55 or 60 % and corresponding to real waste wood recovered from different sources without any pre-treatment and/or preliminary drying process.

The waste wood Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Project in Ham-Tessenderlo was going to burn approximately 100,000 tons/year of non-contaminated waste wood.

The waste wood Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Project was aimed to supply electricity to the local power grid whilst the generated heat was going to be used for the current and future wood activities (barks and pellets). 

Despite serious technical problems incurred by certain EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) Contractors, causing a serious delay in Commercial Operation Date (COD) by +/- 8 months, but benefitting from a very strict project implementation follow-up, the plant has been taken-over in the second half of the year 2012 within reasonable CAPEX (Capital Expenditure or total investment) limits which were finalized by less than some 2 % compared to the initial CAPEX-value.