Spolana Neratovice, a
member of the refinery and petrochemical Unipetrol Group, has commissioned a
new heating plant to generate steam needed for its operations. The investment
totalled CZK 200 million.
“The new gas-powered boiler room has replaced the existing heating plant
powered by lignite. It was decommissioned and will be gradually disassembled in
accordance with a valid integrated permit,” explains Miroslav
Falta, executive director of Spolana. He adds:
“After switching from lignite to natural
gas and installing modern boilers, there has been a significant decrease in the
volume of substances emitted into the atmosphere. Sulphur-dioxide emissions
will drop by 99%; emissions of dust and nitrogen oxides will be 90% lower, and
carbon-monoxide emissions will decrease by 60%.”
The construction of the
heating plant was a turnkey project. It contained all construction work,
including the installation of two steam boilers powered by natural gas with an
output of 2x 35 tonnes of steam per hour, a control system, connection to steam
pipelines and preparation of reduction stations. A consortium of ČEZ
Energetické služby from the ČEZ ESCO Holding and Envir & Power Ostrava was
responsible for the implementation.
"The coal age in the Czech Republic and in Europe is gradually
coming to an end, and the energy companies will also switch to more
environmentally friendly fuels with lower emissions of harmful substances and
CO2, similar to Spolana. Interest in these solutions is growing, and thanks to
them, we are also number one on the industrial energy market in the Czech
Republic,” says Kamil Čermák, CEO of ČEZ ESCO.
The biggest challenge of
the entire project was the installation of two gas-fired boilers with
dimensions of 10 m x 5 m, weighing 162 tonnes, in November 2018. The boilers,
with an output of 70 tonnes of steam per hour, were manufactured by Bosch
Industriekessel GmbH in Gunzenhausen near Nuremberg, Germany. Their transport
to Neratovice over 400 km took five days. The entire transport distance was
extended to 550 km due to traffic restrictions caused by the cargo’s abnormal
dimensions.
“A team of our experts, in collaboration with the Police of the Czech
Republic, planned the boiler transport carefully for several weeks. It was
carried on a low-floor unit with a special hydraulic trailer for abnormal cargo
which helped adjust the current height of the entire unit. It had to fit below
ten low bridges on its way. The length of the transport unit was 34 metres,” said Miroslav Falta about
the difficult transport and added: “For
the cargo to pass our entrance gate, we had to disassemble a section of the
fence, lay gravel around the gatehouse and temporarily disassemble stands
holding entrance-card readers.”
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The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in
the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude-oil processing and on the production,
distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products –
particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it belongs among the
important players on the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group
encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad
Vltavou, Paramo with its Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana
Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also
includes a network of Benzina filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
With 417 filling stations, Benzina is the largest chain in the Czech Republic.
Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in terms of turnover in the Czech
Republic. It earned over CZK 130 billion last year and employs more than 4,800
persons. In addition to its business development, Unipetrol is proud to be a
socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of
attention to initiatives which focus on the cultivation and support of
sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In
2005, Unipetrol became a member of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude-oil
processor in Central Europe.
For more information, please visit the “Responsible Company” section at
www.unipetrol.cz.
Contact information: Pavel Kaidl, spokesman, telephone: +420 225 001![]( "Zavolat: +420 225 001")
407, +420 736 502 520![]( "Zavolat: +420 736 502 520")
, e-mail: pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz