Hitachi Zosen Inova is to supply the combustion technology and boiler for an Waste to Energy project in Zuchwil, Canton Solothurn.

Since 1976 Hitachi Zosen Inova has been involved in building and overhauling the existing Waste to Energy plant (WtE) in Zuchwil. Now the Swiss company will supply its combustion technology and the boiler for the new KEBAG Enova Emmenspitz WtE plant, replacing the existing one. This is a major domestic order that consolidates the technology company’s position in its home market.

Swiss cleantech company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI), based in Zurich, has been awarded the contract to supply the combustion and boiler system for the new KEBAG Enova Emmenspitz Waste to Energy (WtE) plant being built by KEBAG AG in Zuchwil, Canton Solothurn. “We were immediately impressed by HZI’s technology. Its specifications precisely meet our needs and requirements for the new equipment,” explains KEBAG AG director Markus Juchli.

Proven Combustion Technology Optimised
Besides the feed hopper, boiler, dry bottom ash extractor and electrostatic precipitator, the scope of supply also includes HZI’s proprietary combustion technology. Part of this is a further iteration of the HZI grate, which combines the benefits of previous models to help increase overall plant efficiency by boosting operation and reducing maintenance.

Construction is scheduled to start in early Summer 2020. The existing plant will be dismantled once the new installation goes into operation. The two newly constructed combustion lines will be used to process 221,000 metric tons of source-separated municipal and commercial waste a year to generate up to 53.7 MW of thermal energy that will be fed into the respective grid as electricity or district heat.

Important Partner in Local Markets
Following the successful realisation of international large-scale WtE turnkey projects in recent years, HZI has also completed numerous small and medium-sized retrofit and refurbishment projects at existing plants in Europe (recently in Norway, Finland and Germany) and lot projects for new plants. The contract to supply the combustion system of the new plant marks an important continuation of a decades-long collaboration between HZI and the client, which started in 1976 with the installation of the first plant in Zuchwil, which was replaced and extended with HZI technology in the 1990-ies. Over the years, HZI has also been continuously involved in building and overhauling all four existing lines. With the delivery of the two new lines, this project marks the next generation. Markus Juchli also underscores HZI’s constant contribution: “Given that Hitachi Zosen Inova was involved in the construction of the existing plant and subsequent maintenance on a regular basis, we know that they have the experience and commitment to quality and reliability that we expect in a partner.”

In the next few months, HZI can also look forward to additional retrofit, renovation and service projects in parts of Switzerland as well as central and northern Europe – all of which will enable the Zurich-based technology supplier to capitalise on its many years of experience and specialist know-how.

HZI itself sees great potential in Switzerland in the medium and long term: In Europe and in other parts of the World such as Japan, WtE plants have been part of a long tradition of sustainable waste management. “Some of the older installations in this country are reaching the phase where refurbishment and modernisation could help substantially extend their service life while improving energy efficiency,” explains Sandro Malzach, Vice President Systems & Service at HZI. He continues with a look into the future: “HZI is ready for this and has the technology and know-how to provide plant operators with expert support.”

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