The replacement plant under construction at EEW’s Stapelfeld site reached an important milestone: The 120 MW boiler in the new facility, which will replace the thermal waste treatment plant built in 1979, successfully passed the pressure test to receive approval from the German Technical Inspection Association (TÜV). The traditional stamping and attaching of the boiler nameplate were celebrated with a ceremony, bringing together the project partners and around 150 guests from the business community, politics and the public.
With the new construction of the thermal waste utilisation plant in Stapelfeld, we are ensuring long-term capacity for the management of non-recyclable waste and simultaneously doubling the provision of electricity by using energy more efficiently. The pressure test confirmed the good work carried out by the boiler manufacturer and welders. More than 31 kilometres of welded seams withstood the one-and-a-half-times testing pressure of 85.4 bar – equivalent to the water pressure at 850 metres below sea level.
In a welcoming address, Joschka Knuth, secretary of state in the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature, praised the project, which received funding from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for its energy efficiency.
The next milestones towards completion of the replacement new build will be the cold commissioning with the functional testing of all installed equipment, followed by the warm commissioning with the first fire and the cleaning of the boiler by blowing out steam. Start-up is planned for the second quarter of 2025.
