Valmet to Supply BioPower Plant and BioTrac System to ORLEN Poludnie in Poland

Project Overview

Valmet will deliver key technology for ORLEN Poludnie's second-generation bioethanol (B2G) plant in Jedlicze, Poland. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) delivery includes a pretreatment BioTrac system capable of processing approximately 400 tons of dry straw per day, a BioPower 48 MWth lignin-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant, and a Valmet DNA Automation system.

Timeline and Objectives

The order was included in Valmet's first quarter 2022 orders. The plant is scheduled to start operations in 2024. This project aims to increase ORLEN Południe S.A.'s share in the biofuels market and support the EU target for bio-additives in the liquid fuels market. Bioethanol will be produced from non-food agricultural feedstocks, predominantly cereal straw sourced mainly from Polish farmers.

Technical Details

The delivery includes a Valmet Pretreatment BioTrac system and a Valmet BioPower heat and power plant. Both installations will be controlled by a Valmet DNA automation system with embedded information management and cybersecurity solutions. The BioTrac pretreatment system enables an annual production capacity of 25,000 tons of bioethanol.

Energy Production

The Valmet BioPower plant is based on proven bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) combustion technology and flue gas cleaning, combined with factory-manufactured modules. This approach enables faster project implementation, shorter site time, and completion with better quality and lower implementation risks. The fuel capacity of the plant is 48 MWth. The ethanol process byproduct, lignin, will be used as fuel in the BioPower CHP plant, producing all the steam for the ethanol plant and power.