Metso has signed an agreement on delivering state of the art automation for Séchilienne-Sidec, one of the market leaders in biomass and solar energy production in France and the French overseas territories. The new Metso DNA automation systems will be installed as retrofits in two of the Séchilienne-Sidec power plants in Reunion and additionally at a plant in Guadeloupe. The delivery for altogether six boiler units will take place between 2013 and 2015.
“We chose Metso’s automation systems because we believe that they provide the best technological and technical solution for a DCS retrofit to control industrial risks,” saysGilles Hassan, Project Manager at Séchilienne-Sidec. “Moreover, we have been satisfied with Metso’s solution that was commissioned in 2011 for our Caribbean energy plant which is located in Guadeloupe.”
Adding new technology to existing power plants is a demanding task that calls for expertise. Metso’s retrofit delivery scope consists of the Metso DNA automation systems with which the power plants will be controlled. A Metso Information Management System, a Metso DNA Control System Simulator, system installation and control system documentation updates are also included in the delivery. The simulator is a virtual learning environment that makes it possible for the operators to practice and learn the Metso DNA operator interface functions.
In Reunion, located in the Indian Ocean, Metso’s systems will be installed at the Compagnie Thermique Bois Rouge power plant with a capacity of 60 MW and the Compagnie Thermique du Gol plant with a capacity of 64 MW. Séchilienne-Sidec produces 57% of the island’s total electricity.
In Guadeloupe, Metso will retrofit the 64 MW Compagnie Thermique du Moulepower plant with new automation. Séchilienne-Sidec produces 31% of the electricity consumed on this island located in the Caribbean Sea. Both in Reunion and Guadeloupe, Séchilienne-Sidec’s power plants run on biomass, such as bagasse.
Séchilienne-Sidec has 20 years of experience in generating electricity from biomass resources. It is also a leading producer of energy from photovoltaic sources, always seeking to use locally available clean and renewable resources. The group’s installed thermal, wind power and solar capacity is 693 MW of which 624 MW is installed in the French overseas territories. The company is headquartered in Paris, France. In 2011, its net sales amounted to EUR 362 million. www.sechilienne-sidec.com