GDF Suez to co-fire 25pc biomass at Rotterdam

OREANDA-NEWS. French utility GDF Suez aims to co-fire around 25pc biomass at its new 736MW Rotterdam 1 coal-fired unit from the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018.

The company plans to convert the unit to burn 25pc wood pellets — equivalent to around 600,000 t/yr — GDF Suez's head of biomass trading, Fabien Mehu, told the Argus biomass conference today.

Biomass burn will be dependent on obtaining subsidy support under the new Dutch renewables support scheme, SDE+, in the allocation rounds to be held this summer. The company aims to enter conditional supply contracts until its support is locked in, Mehu said.

The Netherlands offers "good potential for biomass market growth", Mehu said. But growth in the market is not without its challenges, he said, including currency pressures on curve contracts, regulatory challenges and limited liquidity.