Westenergy's plant

Sustainable energy production 

The productional goal of Westenergy is to utilise the non-recyclable part of community waste in electricity and district heating production as efficiently and sustainably as possible. The aim is to keep the plant in operation 24 hours a day almost throughout the year, and energy production stops only for the duration of the service stop, usually for about two weeks. The service stop takes place usually in the spring when the need for heating in general and therefore also the demand for district heating is relatively low.

Westenergy’s Waste-to-Energy plant is operated by Production Manager and 15 operators who work in teams of three people.  

In 2023, Westenergy’s plant produced some 50 % of the district heat in the Vaasa area.

In 2023 we converted some 188 000 tonnes of waste into 102 gigawatt-hours of electricity and 385 gigawatt-hours of district heat. The produced amount of electricity covers the need of the plant operation and the annual need of some 4000 electrically heated detached houses. To the national grid, we were able to produce 82 gigawatt-hours of electricity. In 2023, Westenergy’s plant produced some 50 % of the district heat in the Vaasa area. The ratio of electricity and district heat can be adjusted, and last year, energy production focused on district heat production. Our co-operation partner in energy production planning and distribution is Vaasan Sähkö Oy.  

The usability rate of the plant in 2023 was on a good level – 94,5 %. 

In the fall, there occurred urgent need for repair in the grate of the plant, and we had to stop the production of the plant for a week for the repair work. However, with the help of professional staff, the repair work proceeded quickly and the impacts on the usability rate of the plant remained minor. The usability rate of the plant in 2023 was on a good level – 94,5 %.  

Regarding energy production, waste is a challenging raw material as it consists of different materials of which thermal value can vary a lot. Significant changes in the consistency of the waste makes operating the process more difficult and causes strain on the equipment of the plant and flue gas treatment. During the last few years, it has become relatively challenging to control the quality and amount of waste, and we have started to map out possibilities to utilise imported waste in addition to local municipal waste in order to level out the quality and quantity of the raw material.  

Waste quality inspections 

As raw material for energy production, waste is a very challenging raw material as it consists of various materials. The waste composition has an impact on process control, plant operation and flue gas treatment, and waste quality inspections are, therefore, very important. The environmental permit also imposes obligations for monitoring the composition of the raw material.  

Last year the method used to inspect waste quality was changed and we were, therefore, able to inspect a larger amount of waste. Altogether 91 waste loads were inspected last year.  

We have been able to use the new temporary storage area and hall for storing waste and carrying out the waste quality inspections. There is also a separate area divided with concrete modules that has been designated for loading bottom ash. Last year we gained experience on baling waste and dismantling the bales.  

Aiming at a high usability rate

The goal is to shut down the plant only once a year for the duration of the service stop.

The main goal of maintenance is to create the prerequisites for Westenergy’s Waste-to-Energy plant to operate 24-hours a day almost throughout the year. The goal is to shut down the plant only once a year for the duration of the service stop. In 2023, the usability rate of the plant was on a high level being 94,5 %. Preventive maintenance work and professional staff that is familiar with the plant technology have enabled us to achieve the high usability rate.  

Westenergy’s maintenance team is formed by Maintenance Manager, Electrician, Automation Mechanic, and Mechanics. We also employed apprenticeship employee in mechanical maintenance last year. The maintenance team is responsible for the daily maintenance and repair work at the plant site and tackle malfunctions in the process equipment. The service networks of the suppliers of the main equipment are of key importance for the plant operation as well. 

In addition to Westenergy’s staff, over 100 people participated in the service stop.

Regarding maintenance, the service stop of the plant is a critical period as all the maintenance and repair work that can be carried out only when the plant is shut down, are done during the service stop. During the year, we gather information on maintenance needs in the plant, and this creates the basis for a service stop plan. Last year the service stop was carried out in April. It was estimated that the service stop would take two weeks, and we were able to achieve this goal with the help of successful planning and sufficient resources. In addition to Westenergy’s staff, over 100 people participated in the service stop. During the service stop, several ordinary preventive maintenance work and periodic inspections both in mechanical and electrical and automation maintenance were carried out. For instance, the cooling blocks of the front part of the grate were replaced, the supporting bars of the grate blocks were welded, and the wearing parts of the chain conveyor were replaced. The condition assessment for the boiler pipes was carried out as well.