Częstochowa CHP plant set to switch to 100% biomass

Fortum's CHP plant in Częstochowa, Poland, is undergoing a transition project to enable it to be fully fuelled by biomass.
Currently, EC Częstochowa uses 30% biomass and 70% coal. As part of a €100 million investment, the plant will switch to 100% biomass, with completion scheduled for 2027.
The CHP plant will use certified wood biomass, consisting of 90% wood chips from sawmills and 10% wood chips of agricultural origin.
The plant will consume up to 350 thousand tons of biomass annually, sourced from the local and national market.
This is one of the largest investments in green heat and energy in the region.
Fortum has selected its contractors to carry out key modernisation works.
Sumitomo SHI FW will be responsible for the modernisation of the boiler, enabling the combustion of 100% biomass, and for adapting the internal fuel storage and feeding system.
The current boiler coal storage and feeding systems will be replaced with modern systems dedicated to biomass.
Mostostal Warszawa is responsible for the construction of the infrastructure for unloading biomass from railway wagons, the construction of a gallery connecting the new facilities with the existing ones and the modernisation of the slanted gallery, which is currently used to feed fuel to the CHP plant.
In addition to truck transport, biomass will also be delivered by rail, which will improve logistics and increase the efficiency of deliveries.
The contract engineer is Bilfinger Tebodin, which is responsible for supervising the implementation of the investment, taking care of safety, quality, schedule and budget of the project.
Fortum said it is consistently pursuing its sustainable development strategy, investing in modern technologies and renewable energy sources, and by 2027 it intends to completely abandon coal combustion.
"Since 2021, we have been working intensively on a programme to decarbonise our generation units in Poland. We are currently moving from the concept planning stage to real actions aimed at moving away from coal combustion in the Częstochowa CHP plant. I would like to thank everyone involved in this important project," said Kamila Zybura-Pluta, Fortum's investment director.