Borås invests millions in a new CHP plant

Investing in CHP and a sewage treatment plant creates synergy effects and environmental benefits.

The sewage treatment plant has a sludge and biogas facility and opened in May of this year. The project is unique in that it puts both facilities more than 10 miles outside Borås. There are many synergy effects. Among other things, Borås Energi och Miljö is investing in a joint control room where the staff have been trained to monitor and control both plants.

Cooperation and coordination

Thomas Eklund works at FVB in Sundsvall and is the Project Manager for the external fuel handling for the project in Borås.
“This is a large project that involves cooperating and coordinating the work with different
contractors and suppliers together with the others in the project organization,” says Thomas.
"Being part of a venture like this is interesting, where all the pieces of the puzzle have to fall into
place in terms of budget, scheduling, and quality requirements."

The project is a major environmental investment that complies with stronger EU regulations, but it was also necessary to replace the old plants located in central Borås. The sewage treatment plant was opened in 1934 and the old CHP plant in 1965. However, the old CHP plant will still be in use, along with the new CHP plant.

Finding solutions

With such a big project, many questions and decisions that have to be made spring up along the way.
“The most difficult pipes to lay were the ones going from the new plant into town,” says Jonas Holmberg, Communications Manager at Borås Energi och Miljö.
“We had to run the pipes under the Viskan river, under highway 40, through the central lake Ramnasjön and on to the old plant.”

Useful lessons

The project is now almost complete. The boiler is expected to be started up in December and the trial run will continue through March 2019 when it is time for a switch over.
“The external fuel parts are in place and the installation and calibration of the CHP plant is going full speed,” says Thomas.
“It has been educational to be part of such a large project. We have experience from the assignment with Mälarenergi, where we were involved in Block 6 and now also in Block 7 with an entirely new plant.”

Thomas thinks the CHP project in Borås in conjunction with a sewage treatment plant and biogas plant also provides useful knowledge.
“The cooperation with our suppliers and contractors, of which FVB is one, has worked really well. All this collective experience is absolutely necessary to get such a large project done,” says Jonas Holmberg of Borås Energi och Miljö.
“It has been an exciting time since the decision for the venture was made in March 2015,” he finishes.

More information:
Thomas Eklund, 060-67 27 09