The automation systems of Rauman Biovoima’s combined heat and power plant will be modernised in phases. In the first phase, the controls and regulators of the fuel conveyors will be replaced. The new equipment will be commissioned next autumn. In the second and third phases of the investment, the part of the automation related to biomass boilers and the district system will be replaced. The whole project will be completed in the autumn of 2026. The investment in a new automation system for the plant that produces process steam, heat and electricity continues Rauma Biovoima’s long-term development work.
“The automation system of the combined heat and power plant, commissioned in 2006, is the original one and has reached the end of its service life. We will replace all the equipment used to control and regulate the power plant’s processes. As a result, our data processing will improve, and we will be able to optimise our production to be as energy-efficient and reliable as possible. Modernisation of the control room and a modern control system will also make the operators’ work easier and improve the management of processes. The new system will further strengthen the security of supply of district heat and steam,” says Timo Pitkänen, Managing Director of Rauman Biovoima.
Rauman Biovoima supplies process steam, district heat and electricity produced with wood-based fuels to UPM’s paper mill and the Rauman Energia power company. The power plant produces almost all the district heat needed in the City of Rauma. The main fuels are forest industry side streams and wood and logging residues. In addition, biosludge and separately collected solid recovered fuel are used.
The modernisation of the automation systems will not interrupt or interfere with the power plant’s production at any stage. The new system will be supplied by Honeywell.
Rauman Biovoima invests in the development of sustainable production
In recent years, the production of Rauman Biovoima’s combined heat and power plant, which supports the circular economy, has been developed in a long-term and goal-oriented manner. This means increasing the use of recycled fuels and the utilisation of side streams generated during production. Energy efficiency is also being actively improved.
“We’ve been able to discontinue the use of fossil fuels, coal and peat. We’ve done a lot of work to develop the sustainable circular economy,” Pitkänen says.
In 2015, a major investment was made in the modernisation of the reception system for recycled fuels. In practice, solid recovered fuel means paper, cardboard, plastic and building demolition wood that cannot be reused as materials, for example.
In addition, the ash generated at the power plant has been used in earthworks. The cleaning of power plants’ flue gases generates ash as by-product. In a ten-year circular economy project, the Sampaanalanlahti port basin has been filled with a mass in which ash produced at the Rauman Biovoima power plant has been used as a binder. The ash used to strengthen the soil replaces cement, significantly decreasing emissions.
Further information:
Timo Pitkänen, Managing Director, Rauman Biovoima
timo.pitkanen@upm.com
Telephone: +358 204 143 611
Mobile: +358 204 143 611
Rauman Biovoima Oy’s power plant generates process steam for the UPM Rauma mill, district heat for Rauman Energia’s district heating network, and electricity. Rauman Biovoima is owned by Pohjolan Voima Oyj (72%) and Rauman Energia (28%). The power plant’s maintenance services are provided by UPM Rauma. The combined heat and power plant located in the UPM Rauma mill area is included in guarantee-of-origin schemes for heat and power produced with renewable energy.