Metso to deliver biomass-fired steam boiler plant to Valio's Lapinlahti cheese plant

14 Oct 2011

Metso will deliver a steam boiler plant to Valio's Lapinlahti production plants. The boiler plant will be delivered by the Metso-Wärtsilä joint venture MW Power.

Metso will deliver a steam boiler plant to Valio's Lapinlahti production plants. The boiler plant will be delivered by the Metso-Wärtsilä joint venture MW Power. In addition to the boiler plant, the delivery includes all of the necessary installations, the commissioning and the Metso DNA automation system.

The boiler plant will generate the steam and heat needed by Valio's Lapinlahti milk processing plant. The plant will be fuelled by wood chips and peat. Wood chips can eventually be used at 100 percent, but in the initial stage they will account for 50-60% of the fuel mix. The objective is to increase this share gradually.

"Valio is investing in the development of its energy generation structure and in the recovery of waste energy streams with the goal of improving energy efficiency, achieving lower emissions and increasing its use of domestic fuels. The use of domestic fuels will also benefit other players in the area," says Technical Manager Esa Mäkipelto from Valio.

"When designing the plant, particular attention was paid to ensuring high plant availability and flexibility and securing the operations of the production plant under any circumstances in a changing fuel market. Replacing the old boiler with a new, modern biomass-fired boiler will also significantly increase the efficiency of steam generation," adds Product Line Director Olli Elo from MW Power.

The plant will be completed in spring 2013. The order is included in Energy and Environmental Technology's third quarter 2011 orders received.

Technical information

The annual operation of the new plant will be around 8,500 hours and its process steam output will total approximately 140 GWh/a. The boiler is based on HYBEX bubbling fluidized bed combustion technology patented by Metso Power, enabling the use of a wide range of fuels. The boiler output is 20.0 MWth and that of the auxiliary boiler included in the delivery 12.4 MWth. In the boiler solution and automation, particular attention has been paid to the boiler plant's load variations, as the production plant's steam requirement varies greatly owing to the nature of the process.

Valio is Finland's largest milk processor, with 15 production plants in Finland. The Lapinlahti plant, Valio's biggest cheese plant, produces cheese and whey products. In addition to the boiler plant, Valio is also investing in a new powder plant to be constructed in Lapinlahti. The new plant will produce demineralized whey powders, which are enjoying growing demand worldwide. Whey powders are used, for example, by the baby food industry. The Lapinlahti plant employs around 280 people and is a major employer in the area.

MW Power, Metso-Wärtsilä joint venture, provides medium- and small-scale power and heating plant solutions for sustainable energy generation, focusing on flexible utilization of local renewables, as well as innovative technologies and service capabilities.

Source: Metso Corporation