Case Study: Vetejar Biomass Plant (Palenciana-Cordoba)
The Vetejar biomass plant, owned by Oleícola El Tejar and located in Palenciana, Córdoba, has become a benchmark for innovation and sustainability in the Spanish energy sector. It was the first in Spain to use a fluidized bed biomass boiler, in 1996, in order to valorize the waste generated by the Andalusian olive industry. This 12.5 MWe plant has faced significant challenges, especially in the hot Andalusian summers, where water shortages threatened its viability.
As a result of a meeting held at Genera in 2017 with the technical staff of Oleícola El Tejar, the cooperative made a bold decision: to bet on the Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT) developed by IMATECH. This choice not only transformed the plant’s operation, but also had a profound economic and social impact on the local community by eliminating the risk of plant viability linked to water.
Challenges of the Palenciana Biomass Plant
To understand the importance of this decision, it is essential to analyze the context in which the plant was located.
Oleícola El Tejar’s biomass plant is located in a region where water availability is limited, and not only that, the quality of the water worsened year after year, raising maintenance costs and generating problems in other areas. During the summer months, high temperatures and water shortages made the plant’s operation unsustainable. Despite investing in adiabatic coolers as a water-saving alternative to its initial cooling tower-based system, steam condensation and high ambient temperatures above 25°C many hours of the year continued to force Oleícola to consume a large amount of water and did not solve the problem, which was very significant for the plant’s operation. Without an effective solution, the plant was at risk of closure, which would jeopardize not only the economic viability of the plant, but also jobs and the environmentally damaging waste management that the olive activity generates.
Faced with this critical situation, the cooperative, which already had a long history in the production of olive oil and derivatives, was faced with a dilemma: continue with a business model that threatened its viability or seek an innovative solution that would allow them to adapt to the new environmental realities.
It was in this context that the cooperative decided to explore new technologies that could improve the plant’s efficiency during periods of high outdoor temperatures and, especially, reduce or eliminate its dependence on water.
The Innovation of Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT)
The HCT Technology, developed by IMATECH, is an evolution of the Rankine cycle, which has been used for more than a century in power generation. What distinguishes the hygroscopic cycle is its ability to condense steam efficiently without the need for cooling water. Just what Oleícola El Tejar was looking for. At a time when the viability of the biomass plant was in jeopardy, the cooperative decided to take a bold step and adopt this technology.
The cooperative was confident in the potential of HCT to solve its operational problems, despite the fact that, at the time, the technology had only a pilot plant and no reference on its effectiveness on a large scale. This type of decision is critical in the business world, where innovation often involves taking certain risks.
Results of HCT Implementation in the Biomass Plant
The implementation of HCT technology at the Vetejar plant began in the summer of 2017 and has been a resounding success. Since its installation, the plant has operated around 54,000 hours without incident, demonstrating the reliability of the technology.
The following are the most important benefits of its implementation:
1. Increase of the Cooling Temperature
One of the most significant improvements was the 13 °C increase in the outlet cooling temperature of the air coolers, while maintaining the same condensing pressures. This increase is important for optimizing plant performance and improving efficiency in power generation.
2. Water Savings in Plant Operation
The HCT made it possible to completely eliminate cooling water consumption, which is equivalent to a savings of 229,200 m³/year. Eliminating this consumption is especially relevant in a region where water is a limited and not always available resource. By eliminating the dependence on water, the plant not only became more sustainable, but also made its operation independent of water availability and eliminated the cost of water.
3. Reduction of Energy Self-consumption
The plant experienced a decrease in self-consumption of 1,520 MWh/year. This reduction not only improves operational efficiency, but also contributes to the plant’s profitability, allowing more of the energy generated to be fed into the power grid.
4. Increased Energy Availability and Production
The implementation of the HCT allowed the plant to operate at lower annual average condensing pressures, resulting in the generation of an additional 900 MWh/year. The increase in plant availability that resulted is a clear indicator of the effectiveness of the technology and its ability to maximize energy production.
5. Rapid Amortization of the Investment
Finally, one of the highlights of the HCT implementation is that the investment made was amortized in less than one year. This rapid return on investment is a testament to the economic viability of the technology and its ability to generate tangible benefits in a short period of time.
Economic and Social Impact of HCT Technology
Oleícola El Tejar’s decision to adopt HCT not only had a positive impact on the plant’s operation, but also had a significant impact on the local community. The viability of the plant ensured the continuity of numerous jobs, which is critical in an area where the local economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and the olive industry.
The implementation of the HCT allowed them not only to maintain their operation, but also to improve their competitiveness. Reduced operating costs and increased efficiency strengthened the plant’s position in an increasingly competitive and regulated sector. As a consequence of these good results, in 2018 and 2020 it was decided to install HCT in two of its biomass plants, with the same excellent results obtained in this first plant.
In addition, the success of the Vetejar plant has served as an example for other companies in the energy sector in the adoption of new technologies that are essential to meet the environmental and economic challenges of the future.
Conclusion
The Vetejar case is not just a success story, but an example that shows the way to a more efficient and sustainable energy future. As we face global challenges such as climate change, scarcity of water resources and decarbonization of industrial processes, cases like this one show us that solutions are within our reach.
All that is needed is vision, commitment and a willingness to embrace innovation.
