Power plants in Spain and Portugal that will use biomass as fuel have selected international technology group Andritz to supply steam boilers based on fluidized-bed combustion technology. The value of the orders exceed $125 million (80 million Euros).

Andritz will supply a high-pressure steam boiler plant to Grupo Empresarial ENCE, S.A., for its pulp mill in Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. The 170 MW boiler will use energy cultivates and forest residues as fuels. Startup of the plant is scheduled for the end of 2009. When completed, the plant will be one of the largest green electricity biomass power plants in Spain and will generate 50 MWe of green electricity supplied to the grid.

Andritz will deliver steam boilers to Portucel - Empresa Produtora de Pasta e Papel, S.A., for two power plants to be built at the Cacia and Setúbal mills in Portugal. Electric power output of the plants will be 15 MWe each. The boilers are based on fluidized bed technology and the fuel used (50 MW/unit) is mainly eucalyptus and pine. Startup of both plants is scheduled for the end of 2009.

Graz, Austria-based Andritz manufactures a range of equipment for electricity production, including gasifiers and recovery boilers. According to the company, the systems primarily are used by the pulp and paper industry but increasingly also by the power-generating industry.