First waste-to-energy power plant begins generating electricity

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

Starting April 20, the first waste-to-energy power plant in Yichang has begun  generating electricity.

 

The project, located in Fenghuangguan Village of Yiling District, covers an area of about 168 acres and received an investment of around 930 million yuan (US$134.9 million). It has three 750 tons/day waste incineration lines, two 6.4MPa/450°C steam boilers, one 18MW steam turbine generator, and a 300 tons/day waste leachate treatment station.

 

The project uses heat created by burning domestic waste to generate electricity. The high-temperature smoke generated from burning waste enters the boiler, where it is then absorbed. The steam drives the turbine generator to create electricity. Advanced technologies for remote centralized control such as waste incineration visualization and turbine visualization are used, allowing all operations to be completed from a central control room.

The waste-to-energy power plant’s central control room.
 

The plant is able to process 1,500 tons of garbage per day, roughly equivalent to the current daily garbage scale in the main city of Yichang. The project is expected to generate about 170 million kWh of electricity annually, enough to provide more than 200,000 people with electricity for a year. To generate an equivalent amount of electricity would require 69,000 tons of standard coal along with the increased pollution that entails. Additionally, the slag generated from waste incineration can be used to make recycled bricks.

 

Yichang's domestic waste treatment mode will be changed completely from landfill disposal to incineration power generation. The city hopes to achieve the maximum degree of resource utilization through the harmless treatment of domestic waste.