Environment

Ugljevik testing desulfurization in coal power plant

Ugljevik desumporizacija desumporizaciju ugalj uglja

Photo: Josep Monter Martinez from Pixabay

Published

December 13, 2019

Comments

0

Share

Published:

December 13, 2019

Comments:

0

Share

The RiTE Ugljevik mine and coal power plant has said it switched on its desulfurization system. The facility for the protection from the consequences of burning coal will have a three-month test drive. It was funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, better known as JICA, agreed in 2010.

The purifier of the combustion exhaust gas is worth EUR 80 million. The representatives of the firm registered as Rudnik i termoelektrana Ugljevik AD, which generates a third of electrical energy in the Republic of Srpska said they are pleased about the progress in facing the introduction of stricter rules and laws and the obligations the state has.

Project manager Zlatko Malović said at the launch that the thermal power plant is on the way to reach European Union environmental standards and stabilize production. The flue gas desulfurization is “the biggest ecological project in energy facilities in Southeastern Europe,” in his view.

State-owned utility ERS, formally Mješoviti holding Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske matično preduzeće AD, runs the endeavor. RiTE Ugljevik is its subsidiary. The main contractor is Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. of Japan.

“We are showing we can be a serious company, which fulfills its international responsibilities like the contract with the Energy Community,” Malović said and also cited the National Emission Reduction Plan – NERP. Srpska is the smaller of the two autonomous entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ugljevik has coal with a high share of sulfur, between 3.5% and 5%, and air pollution was so far much above allowed levels. In the words of the project manager, sulfur oxide emissions were slashed to 200 milligrams from 16,000 per cubic meter or 80 times. The system now complies with the strictest European regulations, he added.

Manager of the Ugljevik complex Čedomir Stojanović promised investments in the treatment of ash and slag and said gypsum would be manufactured in the process. “We all here are considering, due to the coal deposits in this area, the construction of a new bloc” of the thermal power plant, he stated.

The desulfurization unit was already built in 2016. Yokogawa Electric Corp. supplied the integrated production control system for the monitoring and control of purification. The management said it started paying back the loan.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Vjosa becomes national park – first protected wild river in Europe

20 March 2023 - The Vjosa river obtained the highest level of protection following several years of campaigning and Albania's cooperation with NGOs

Global Recycling Day waste sorting reducing CO2 emissions

Global Recycling Day: from waste sorting to reducing CO2 emissions

18 March 2023 - Global Recycling Day is marked on March 18 to highlight the importance of reusing items...

George Papanastasiou New energy environment ministers names unveiled in Cyprus

New energy, environment ministers’ names unveiled in Cyprus

28 February 2023 - Business executive George Papanastasiou is replacing Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry Natasa Pilides

European Public Prosecutor investigates EU ETS fraud in Bulgaria

EU prosecutors investigating EU ETS fraud in Bulgaria

28 February 2023 - EPPO's office in Sofia is carrying out searches and investigation in a probe into fraud regarding the EU Emissions Trading System