Electricity and district heating
from wood in Cuxhaven
Combined heat and power generation supplies the harbours with heat and electricity
After a project planning phase of almost three years, the go-ahead was finally given in August 2023: The first of three boilers produced steam and the turbine of the Cuxhaven wood-fired power plant (HHCA) turned; this meant that electricity could be generated and fed into the local grid for the first time. From medium-voltage technology for low-voltage main distribution to boilers through to the control and drive technology for the turbine up to the higher-level control room, we worked here with a strong manpower.
It was not an everyday journey. Various delays repeatedly stalled the project, so much so that our colleagues in Wallenhorst ended up to only have five months to implement the project instead of the planned two years. “A marathon that required a lot of mental flexibility,” said project manager Marcell Peters. “What we normally handle one after the other had to be carried out simultaneously and closely interlinked here: the transport and installation of all the technology, the power supply for all subsections on the construction site and, last but not least, the programming of the control technology including its various interfaces,” said the project manager. After all, the funding of the project depended on the set feed-in date. “On some days, we had over 25 men on site. That is quite unusual. Also the fact that our employees are tied to an external project for longer than a year. But we are accommodated in a nice little hotel on site and are well looked after there. So good that the colleagues almost feel at home,” summarises the project manager.
Just under 7 of the potential 20 MW output of the wood-fired power plant is now available, while the remaining energy from the two other boilers should be available in the first half of next year when the power plant goes into regular operation. Furthermore, waste heat from electricity production is utilised with the help of combined heat and power (CHP) to supply Cuxhaven residents with district heating.
What we normally handle one after the other had to be carried out simultaneously and closely interlinked here: the transport and installation of all technology, the power supply for all subsections on the construction site and, last but not least, the programming of the control technology including its various interfaces.
Marcell Peters, Project Manager in charge, SCHULZ Systemtechnik Wallenhorst
