Orsted increases the efficiency of Herning Power Station

On March 5, Orsted broke ground on a project that aims to increase the efficiency of its Denmark-based Herning Power Station, a combined-heat-and-power facility that was converted to biomass fuel in 2009.

According to Orsted, the DKK 200 million ($33.13 million) upgrade project will add a flue gas condensation plant to the power station that will exploit the residual heat in the flue, making the plant more efficient. Orsted said the project will allow the power station to reduce the consumption of wood chips and pellets by approximately 20 percent while maintaining its heat output.  The project is expected to be complete during the fall of 2019.

"It's really good news for our climate that we join forces with our heat customers to make Herning Power Station even more efficient,” said Thomas Dalsgaard, executive vice president and CEO of Bioenergy & Thermal Power at Orsted. “It's already a green power station running on sustainable biomass, and now we'll be able to reduce the fuel consumption significantly, thus ensuring that the power station is a competitive alternative to fossil fuels.”

The Herning Power Station has an 88 MW power capacity and can produce 171 MJ/s of district heating. According to Orsted, district heating produced at the plant covers the annual heat consumption of approximately 48,000 Danish households. The station is also able to supply heat without producing power. Orsted indicated this capability may be relevant when solar and wind energy generate enough power to cover consumption.

Orsted said the conversion project was launched at the same time the company singed a 15-year agreement with Eniig Varme, Energi Ikast Varme and Sunds Vand og Varme to supply district heat from the power station.

The Herning Power Station was originally opened in 1982 as a coal-fired power station. It was converted to use natural gas in 2000. Two years later, it was converted to primarily using wood chips as fuel. Since 2009, the plant has been run exclusively on biomass, primarily wood chips supplemented with wood pellets.