K+S KALI GmbH is building a 15 MW power-to-heat plant

The Zielitz potash plant, belonging to K+S KALI GmbH, is one of the world’s largest. It has an annual output of 12 million tonnes of crude salt, which is used to produce fertilizers and industrial products. Here K+S Entsorgung operates an underground landfill facility in which waste that requires monitoring is managed safely for long periods of time. (Photo: K+S)


PARAT Halvorsen AS will deliver the 15 MW, 6kV High Voltage Electrode Steam Boiler with design pressure of 13 barg and 195°C Steam temperature. Feedwater- and Circulationpump skids are also included in the delivery.

Energy-intensive companies from the chemical industry, steel manufacturing and building material, paper and glass production with power-to-heat plants play an important part in the stability of electricity grids. In light of rising renewable energy generation, the need for operating reserves also grows from year to year. The company K+S KALI GmbH, one of the internationally leading suppliers of standard and speciality fertilisers, is currently building a High Voltage Electrode Boiler plant with a capacity of 15 megawatts at its site in Zielitz, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany). The construction time will last around six months. 'The K+S power-to-heat plant is currently one of the largest industrial plants in Germany,' says Tobias Assmann, CEO and co-founder of Enerstorage. 'Power-to-heat plants such as these are an important backbone considering the expansion in renewable energy generation. The grid upgrade that is actually required for this is seriously lagging behind, meaning that excess electricity produced in a short space of time is threatening the stability of the grid more and more frequently and seriously.'


This loader can transport up to 17 tonnes of crude salt at once. The precious raw materials are processed at K+S KALI GmbH sites to create high-grade fertilizers and industrial products. (Photo: K+S)


Power-to-heat: potentials for operating reserves
The K+S Kali power-to-heat plant will be prequalified for the operating reserve market as soon as this year and will therefore provide flexibility when it comes to ensuring the stability of the grid. The entire process, from planning and construction to promotion of the flexibility on the operating reserve market, is being carried out by Enerstorage, itself a prequalified operating reserve supplier. The steam generated during operating reserve retrieval at the site in Zielitz will be used for the production facilities. Around 12 million tonnes of crude salt are mined per year in Zielitz. From this, around 2 million tons saleable end-products per year, which are potash fertiliser, potassium chloride 99% for industrial applications and products in food and feed quality.

Power-to-heat contracting
As the use of power-to-heat is very dependent on political and constantly changing regulatory specifications, contracting models such as the kind offered by Enerstorage are popular. Here, Enerstorage retains responsibility for the economic efficiency and operation of the plant. As a site partner, the industrial company provides space for the power-to-heat plant and its integration into local heating grids and in turn generates solid additional revenues without having invested. The main benefit of power-to-heat in comparison to other flexibility measures in industrial energy management is that it does not interfere in the production processes. In fact, the plant is downstream of production. In addition, power-to-heat can step in as an emergency supply in case of a failure of the on-site steam generation and therefore serves as a backup solution.

We would like to invite you to our stand to discuss our High Voltage Electrode Boiler possibilities for your Power to Heat needs at En+Eff 2016 in Frankfurt 19-21 April. To book a meeting please send us an e-mail to jsv@parat.no to request your preferred date and time. We are located in Hall 4, Stand B22

En+Eff 2016 program

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