Substitute fuels: thermal power station is running out of time when expanding

Created: 06/28/2022, 08:00

By: Jörg von Rohland

From the outside it looks like the expansion will be completed soon.

However, the interior fittings, in which the refuse-derived fuels are to be incinerated, are still severely snagged due to delivery problems.

A shrimp farm will soon be built on the site of the combined heat and power plant.

Because the price of wood is rising, the profitability of the plant is reaching its limits © Hans-Helmut Herold

The global delivery difficulties for goods and components also hit the combined heat and power plant in Altenstadt with full force.

The expansion of the plant has come to a standstill.

While the firewood prices are rising, the trial run planned for this year with the controversial substitute fuels (ESB) can no longer be maintained.

Altenstadt – Siegfried Schuster has a problem.

Since January, the power plant operator has had the highly official approval of the government of Upper Bavaria to burn so-called alternative fuels (ESB) in addition to wood in Altenstadt (we reported).

When he can start with that is written in the stars.

This time it's not angry citizens or the Pfaffenwinkel environmental initiative that are up in arms about the expansion of the power plant.

It's the market that plagues shoemakers.

The power plant manager reports that construction of the building is largely complete.

According to his statements, however, there are still huge problems with the "inner workings".

As is well known, not only is a bunker for the alternative fuels built on the power plant site between Triebstraße and the B472, new conveyor technology and units also have to be installed and connected to the existing process control system.

So far, Schuster has been waiting in vain for many of the parts for this.

"There is no delivery, this year it won't be any more anyway," the manufacturers explained to Schuster.

And on top of that, he doesn't even know how much he'll have to pay when the parts finally arrive.

The suppliers couldn't tell him that, "it's a disaster".

Five years to implement the plan

Only this much is certain: "I have five years to implement it," says Schuster, referring to the approval that was granted.

It allows the power plant to incinerate “quality-assured waste” from pulp, paper, cardboard, textiles, packaging and from the manufacture and processing of plastics.

And Schuster would rather do that today than tomorrow.

"The fuel wood is becoming increasingly scarce, there isn't that much on the market," he explains.

“We produce electricity at high prices.

The profitability is borderline.”

That's why the power plant boss emphasizes once again that the ESB "are our life insurance".

"Who knows how high the wood prices will be in a year?" he asks.

Schuster then places his hopes on the beginning of the coming year.

A manufacturer promised him that he could then "push it in".

But that is not certain.

And once everything has been installed, a test run must first prove that the converted system complies with the requested emission values.

As is well known, the trial operation should already take place this year.

As in future regular operation, a maximum of 50 percent ESB will be burned in addition to wood.

Schuster does not know when the test run can finally take place.

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The time factor plays an important role here.

As reported, after an amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act in Altenstadt, it was assumed that the combustion of waste wood would continue to be promoted and that the ESB could be dispensed with for the time being.

However, the EU had vetoed the German aid.

And for Schuster it is now clear: "I see no future for continuing the system with only wood."

The power plant operator, on the other hand, still sees a future for the plant's waste heat, which is currently largely wasted.

The power plant was designed from the start to provide district heating.

Around 500,000 marks were invested in a turbine decoupling at the time.

And Schuster still hopes that buyers will be found.

After all, you are currently experiencing a "change in times in which you can think about it," he says.

In any case, his door is open to anyone who is interested.

Also for the city of Schongau.

After all, there is already a buyer.

A trial operation for the shrimp farm that Schuster had planned for a long time is underway.

The tasty little creatures are said to thrive in the 30 degree warm water.

And because all the permits have finally been obtained, Schuster now wants to implement the planning: As has been reported several times, two self-contained halls with a hygiene area are to be built on the site of the combined heat and power plant.

A production output of 15 tons of shrimp per year is expected per hall.

The municipal council in Altenstadt last extended the building permits for the halls in September 2020.

You can find more current news

from the region around Schongau at Merkur.de/Schongau.