BoA 2&3

Two new lignite-fired units with optimized plant technology (BoA) are being constructed at the existing Neurath location in Grevenbroich. After the first BoA plant, which was commissioned at Niederaußem in 2003, these will be the second and third units to boast what is the world’s most advanced design. These two power plant units will each have a gross capacity of 1,100 megawatt and an efficiency of over 43 percent. Like all other large lignite-fired power plants, this power plant, too, will be operated in base load.

Optimized power plant process

Although the basic design of the BoA units is similar to that of existing plants, thanks to numerous significant improvements to the various plant components and process steps they constitute the best technology for lignite-based electricity generation available today. This results in improved utilization of the fuel used and even more environmentally compatible generation of electricity than older plants. By comparison, the new units’ efficiency is some 31 percent higher. The new BoA power plant will emit up to six million tons less CO2 per year than the old plants that BoA 2 and 3 will replace. Apart from carbon emissions, specific SO2, NOX and dust emissions will also be reduced by about 31 percent. RWE is investing more than 2.2 billion euros in the BoA project.

Infrastructure

The two new units are being erected on the tract of land to the east of the existing Neurath power plant and will partly be connected to the supply and disposal facilities of existing power plants, some of which will be retrofitted or expanded for that purpose.

A new, underground storage facility will be constructed for the plant’s lignite supply. The lignite will be delivered from the Garzweiler and Hambach opencast mines by the company’s own North-South railway system. From there, the lignite will be transported to the day bins in the boiler houses using a new belt conveyor system.