1) VGB PowerTech: Greenpeace study on coal power stations masks significant findings
2) VGB supports the Excellence Enhancement Center – Successful Workshops in New Delhi and Bangalore
3) Guidebook "Demonstration of Large Scale Biomass Co-Firing and Supply Chain Integration – DEBCO"
4) Coal Handling in Power Plants - VGB-M211e
5) Maintenance-compatible documentation - VGB-S-029-S-00;2012-03-EN
The proportion of aerosols emitted by European coal power stations amounts to only a few percentage points of the total aerosol emissions caused by human beings (dust < 4 percent and aerosols < 6 percent, source: UBA, continuous). This is shown by the values for the EU-27 (European Union). The Greenpeace study "Death through the chimney - how coal power stations ruin our health" simply does not take into account such important facts and further significant findings on the topic of aerosols.
VGB PowerTech has assigned the preparation of the "Compendium concerning health relevance - Environmental health aspects of power generation from coal" to the TUEV Rhineland Industrial Service GmbH and Professor Thomas Eikmann (University of Gießen). Numerous experts from the fields of environmental and health protection, occupational medicine, environmental toxicology and environmental technology were involved in compiling the German-English paper which spans 130 pages. From long-term results of monitoring data collected over years they conclude that it may be assumed that the air quality (pre-load) is practically not or only marginally changed through additional immissions (additional load) from coal power stations. This is mainly independent of whether the coal power station lies in an area with a low or higher immission preload. Furthermore, the comprehensive study data show that in spite of decade long operation, there is no relevant accumulation of harmful substances (due to deposition) in the environmental media.
The Compendium is available for download:
Compendium concerning health relevance - Environmental health aspects of power generation from coal
Press release:
http://www.vgb.org/en/greenpeace_studie_pm_vgb.html
Under the motto "Performance improvements through technology interventions" experts from Germany and India got together in the first week of March to negotiate in interactive workshops about innovative power plant technologies, O&M and I&C solutions. On two days in New Delhi as well as two days in Bangalore representatives of VGB, KWS, ABB, Durag and E.ON reported about German experiences. The presentations of the Indian Experts, e.g. by Reliance and MHI, included best practices of special plants as well as a summary of boiler technologies.
This workshop, participated by the speakers as well as 30 experts from Indian power plants, was the official prelude for the contextual work of the Excellence Enhancement Centre (EEC). The EEC is an industry platform of the Indian producers of electricity, which is, similar to the VGB, supposed to provide an intensive professional exchange within the sector in order to increase efficiency and availability of the Indian power plants. These are topics with a strategic significance against the background of an enormous economic growth. The VGB assists the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) in setting up the EEC organization. The official inauguration took place in February 2012. The EEC project was initiated in the Indo-German Energy Forum and receives a funding provided in the scope of the International Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The aim is that the EEC operates self-sustaining and finance itself through membership fees or other services.
Further Information:
http://www.eecpowerindia.com/
mailto:claudia.weise@vgb.org
The DEBCO Project has involved an extensive program of research, component testing and demonstration activities aimed at the further development of the co-firing of biomass and RDF with coal. It was a collaborative RTD project funded within the FP7 program involving seventeen Partners from eight different EU countries.
In the newly published guidebook, the key results and experiences of the DEBCO Project are described in order to provide relevant information to project developers, combustion and boiler engineers and plant operators interested in co-firing technologies. Detailed assessments of the three biomass co-firing demonstration activities at Fusina PP (Italy), Kardia PP (Greece) and Rodenhuize PP (Belgium) and an overview of the associated R&D activities are given.
The guidebook and the presentations of the final conference are available here:
http://www.vgb.org/en/research_project322.html
Further information about VGB-M211e "Coal Handling in Power Plants" can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.vgb.org/shop/m211e.html
Further information about VGB-S-029-S-00;2012-03-EN "Maintenance-compatible documentation" can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.vgb.org/shop/s-029-2012-en.html