Essent and INEOS Oxide inaugurate the Inesco CHP plant in Zwijndrecht
Essent is the first to invest in a new supplier in local production capacity
Antwerp, 7 May 2008 - Today, the official opening of the Inesco CHP plant will take place in Zwijndrecht. The 135 MW power plant combines an exceptionally high output (1) with minimum emissions and its operation is fully tailored to the needs of the chemical engineering plant INEOS Oxide. This approach makes Inesco unique in Belgium.
The Inesco Combined Electricity/Heat Production plant (2) , owned by the Essent energy company, was built on the INEOS Oxide chemical engineering plant sites in Zwijndrecht (Leftbank in Antwerp).
The power plant produces electricity, steam (heating) and demineralised water. INEOS Oxide purchases electricity and demineralised water, but predominantly all of the steam (heating) that is produced, up to 230 tonnes per hour. However, Essent supplies the bulk of the electricity that is produced to the Belgian grid. Because of its 135 MW capacity, the power plant provides ample electricity to meet the needs of all households in a city the size of Antwerp.
An example of technical flexibility
The Inesco project is a prime example of Essent's technical flexibility: the power plant combines high output with minimal emissions and, in addition, its operation is tailored to the needs of INEOS Oxide.
The principle of simultaneous production of steam and electricity effects a saving of 75,000 tonnes CO²/year (3) . As a result, the power plant contributes substantially towards achieving a reduction of CO² emissions, something to which Belgium has committed itself within the framework of the Kyoto protocol.
The set-up of the power plant also allows a high degree of flexibility in production. The production of steam can be varied between 0 and 230 tonnes/hour, so that it can be precisely tailored to the business process of the consumer, INEOS Oxide. This is one of the reasons why, following a thorough technical and economical analysis, INEOS Oxide selected Essent to develop an environmentally-friendly CHP plant at its site.
Hans Casier, CEO of INEOS Oxide, explains: 'Essent convinced us in many respects: they offer a technically-sound concept with a great deal of flexibility, the best economical conditions and broad expertise in the field of construction and the operation of CHP installations in a chemical-engineering environment'. Erwin Van Laethem, delegate member of the board of Essent Belgium, confirms: 'The power plant is an example of Essent's intention to invest in high-quality service provision to its industrial customers.'
Striving for a stronger local presence
Erwin Van Laethem emphasises that the new power plant, costing more than 130 million Euros, fits well with his aim to achieve a stronger local presence - with, in the longer term, its own production capacity or via partnerships. It is for this reason that, last month, Essent undertook to purchase a total of 2.1 TWh of Green Electricity from Electrawinds (Ostend) during the next 15 years. Shortly prior to that, a collaboration was started with the Fosses-la-Ville wind turbine park in the province of Namur.
Ambitious goals for the future
Supported by its recent achievements, Essent Belgium wishes to continue along the route that it has taken. Erwin Van Laethem: 'We wish to offer a completely green and sustainable portfolio on the consumer market. Additionally, we want to continue our role within the corporate market. The demand for 'clean' energy within the corporate market is also increasing sharply, within the context of Corporate Social Responsibility. Even if, these days, insufficient capacity exists to provide every bulk consumer with green electricity, the Inesco-type power plants are still many times cleaner and more environmentally-friendly than the traditional power plants on account of their efficiency'.
Essent now wants to extend its CHP expertise to small-scale projects. The company already gained a lot of experience in the Netherlands by means of the acquired Westland Group, in terms of clean, efficient energy production at a medium and small scale. Within the Netherlands, mini-CHP plants and even micro-CHP plants have already been subject to favourable experiments. It is for this reason that Essent Belgium deems that the market is ripe for comparable initiatives within our country.
In the immediate future, Essent Belgium will be on the lookout for further opportunities and, where possible, will make further investments. 'We want to continue to actively capitalise on all opportunities for collaborations or investments we are presented with', Erwin Van Laethem concluded.
About Essent Belgium
Since towards the end of 2001, Essent Belgium (www.essent.be), has been active on the Belgian energy market as an officially authorised supplier of electricity and natural gas in the three Belgian regions (Flanders, the Walloon provinces and Brussels), with a turnover of 253 million Euros in 2007 and 130 employees.
About Essent
With an annual turnover of 7.4 million euros in 2007, Essent is the largest energy company in the Netherlands. Essent supplies electricity, gas and heating to domestic and business customers. Essent is active throughout the entire energy chain: from the production of energy up to and including supply to end users. The corporation views The Netherlands as its home market, but has now also built up a considerable market position in Germany and is doing so increasingly in Belgium. The group's environmental branch processes waste into energy and residual currents. Essent employs approximately 11,000 people. Since the introduction of its product Green Electricity in 1995, Essent has developed into the biggest producer of sustainable energy in the Benelux countries. Essent uses two main sources for this: biomass and wind.
Further information: www.essent.nl.
About INEOS Oxide
Since its creation in 1998, INEOS has developed into the third largest chemical group in the world. INEOS comprises 72 factories and 16,000 employees throughout the world. INEOS is a non-listed company that expands through acquisitions and investments. 10% of the company is owned by the employees. INEOS comprises 19 businesses. INEOS Oxide in Zwijndrecht produces ethylenoxide, glycol and specialty chemicals and is the commercial pivotal point for the whole of Europe.
1. Total output upon average power production: 80%.
2. 'Inesco' stands for 'INEOS – Essent – Cogeneration'.
3. In comparison to separate production.
Published: 07 May 2008