Winstone Pulp International (WPI) entered into a long-term energy partnership with Energy for Industry to develop and operate a cutting edge new heat generation plant near Ohakune in the central North Island.
The heat plant, built and owned by Energy for Industry under a long-term heat supply agreement produces heat for drying pulp. The partnership also provides WPI with a 20MW long-term electricity supply contract with Meridian Energy.
WPI sees the alliance as an innovative approach to securing energy supply at the mill, improving the company’s energy efficiency and environmental management.
12MW heat plant
The new 12MW heat plant, which replaces a smaller bark burner, is fuelled by bark, other wood wastes, and partially dried pulp sludge, to produce the majority of WPI's heat requirements.
- In addition to the construction of the new heat plant the project delivered:
an upgrade of WPI's sludge de-watering plant
- construction of a steam drier, which uses waste exhaust heat to further dry the waste sludge to improve its value as a fuel
- a major upgrade to the wood-waste fuel handling systems which provide fuel for the heat plant
The new heat plant has enabled WPI to reduce LPG consumption by more than 4 million litres per year and eliminated the need to dispose of up to 20,000 tonnes of pulp bio-mass by-products annually. This is now being dried and used as a fuel. WPI has also avoided the difficulty and expense of replacing its nearly full landfill which has been re-sown in new forest.
Best practice environmental
WPI and Energy for Industry use best practice environmental procedures. Reducing LPG consumption and moving away from the landfill disposal of pulp sludge provides for a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the order of 30,000 tonnes per annum, which is the equivalent of saving 600 trucks and trailers of coal per year.
Energy for Industry also conducted an energy audit, financed through an EECA loan under the Large Electricity User Audit Grant scheme. The audit identified a number of energy efficiency projects that may be developed by Energy for Industry under an Energy Performance Contract (EPC).
Risk management
WPI Managing Director, David Anderson, says the alliance is an innovative approach to managing risk, securing energy supply at the mill and securing further improvements in the company's energy efficiency and environmental outcomes.
"WPI is adapting to succeed in a highly competitive international market and we are very pleased to be able to partner with expert companies such as Energy for Industry to address energy efficiency challenges," he says.
The benefits of the project and the innovation shown in delivering a sustainable energy solution were recognised at the 2006 EECA EnergyWise Awards with Energy for Industry winning the Innovation Award for the project.
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