In the last week of September, the official opening of one of the largest energy investments in Poland in recent years took place. The Zabrze CHP Plant is the first such modern facility managed by Fortum in Europe. It has the ability to use alternative fuel, derived from waste, making it environmentally friendly. Currently, the commissioning and final works of the facility are underway. Budimex was the main contractor for the construction works, along with other industry contractors.
Budimex completed the contract within 29 months, i.e. in accordance with the provisions of the contract. Additional works commissioned by the investor during the contract are still underway, which will last until the end of the year. The total value of the project is over PLN 51 million. The Fortum CHP plant in Zabrze will be multi-fuel, i.e. it will be able to use as many as three different types of fuel. Particularly important in this matter is the possibility of using RDF coal, i.e. fuel from waste that can no longer be reused. Thanks to this, the facility will be managed in the so-called and the materials that would end up in the landfill will be used to generate heat and electricity. – To the first CHP plant in Poland that has the ability to use this alternative fuel. Budimex, as a modern construction company, has always been very close to the ideals of environmental protection, which is why we are all the more pleased that we were able to build such an environmentally modern facility – says Dariusz Blocher, President of the Management Board of Budimex SA.
A wide range of Budimex’s works
Budimex, as the main contractor of the construction works, was responsible m.in. for the construction of a complex of main buildings, including the boiler room and boiler silos, the engine room, the main staircase and the electrical building with a control room. In addition, the company has completed power input facilities, flue gas treatment facilities and ash removal system facilities. – The challenge was to build over 12,000m3 of concrete and over 1,200 tons of reinforcing steel, which also included the preparation of the turbine foundation and the 66 m high communication pylon. Thanks to good work organization and the experience of our employees, we managed to do it in a record time of 12 weeks – says Dariusz Blocher. The scope of the company’s construction activities also included work on the roof, made of trapezoidal sheet metal on a steel structure, covered with heat-welded roofing felt. In total, the investment completed by Budimex has over 171 thousandm3 and almost 12 thousandm2 of space.
Experts estimate that the technology used will lead to a reduction in the emission of harmful particulate matter by more than 11 times, and sulphur dioxide by more than 7 times. The new heat and power plant will replace the old, worn-out installations that have been operating so far in Zabrze and Bytom. The capacity of the new installation is 225 MW of fuel input (thermal capacity: 145 MW, electrical capacity: 75 MW). The assumed annual heat production is 730 GWh, and electricity is 550 GWh.
