Technology and services enable smooth startup of plant producing electricity from household rubbish

Pittsburgh, July 20, 2016 – Automation technology and services from Emerson Process Management, a global business of Emerson (NYSE: EMR), have helped ensure the successful startup and operation of a waste-to-energy plant in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The new plant enables the region to dispose of waste effectively and helps Poland meet its obligations under the European Union’s 2020 climate and energy directive.

The municipal waste incineration facility, operated by Mię​dzygminny Kompleks Unieszkodliwiania Odpadów​ (MKUO) ProNatura, will generate 100,000 megawatts-hours of electricity per year – enough to power 50,000 homes – from 180,000 metric tons of household waste. During winter months the facility will also provide an additional 27 megawatts of thermal energy to the local district heating loop.

Emerson was engaged early in the project by Aster, a joint venture between two Italian companies: Astaldi, a general contractor specializing in big infrastructure; and TME, an engineering, procurement and construction firm. Emerson automation experts provided control system design, engineering and commissioning services that were critical to the successful and on-schedule completion of the project.

“The Bydgoszcz project is one of the largest energy-from-waste developments in Poland, helping to keep waste out of landfills, reduce emissions and increase the use of recoverable energy sources,” said Giovanni Bonanini, TME Contract Director. “Emerson’s systems engineering and project management experience were crucial to delivering the project on time, and its technology is now ensuring continued efficient and reliable power generation.”

To optimize operations, MKUO ProNatura will use Emerson’s Ovation™ distributed control system to oversee plant equipment and processes, including boilers, steam turbine, water heating system, and balance-of-plant operations. Emerson project specialists commissioned the control system and managed the integration of a broad range of systems and equipment, which was made easier by the flexibility of the Ovation system.

“Emerson is committed to providing a path to better performance for its customers undertaking large-scale projects, and the successful start-up and operation of the Bydgoszcz municipal waste incineration plant is an excellent example of this,” said Bob Yeager, Emerson’s president for Power & Water Solutions. “Critical to its success was the support provided by our engineers, as well as our cloud-based engineering environment that made it easy for supplier, contractor and customer personnel to access important information from any location.” 

Aster also relied on the services of Emerson project engineers to support plant startup and synchronization with the grid. Emerson also provided training to help control room operators, engineers and maintenance personnel gain experience before the plant began operation.

About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2015 were $22.3 billion. For more information, visit Emerson.com.​