Nexterra launches program to commercialize high-efficiency biomass power

Nexterra Energy announced a program to commercialize a new application of its biomass gasification technology to generate power and heat from small-scale plants (2 - 10 MWe) by direct-firing syngas into high efficiency gas engines.

Once fully developed, Nexterra’s gasification technology is planned to be combined with GE’s Jenbacher gas engines to form modular biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plants. The scale of individual plants will range from 2 - 10 MWe (megawatt electric) and will yield net efficiencies of up to 60 percent in cogeneration mode and 30 percent in combined cycle mode. The plants will be fully automated and will not require steam generation equipment.

The new biomass CHP system is designed for on-site applications at public institutions such as universities, hospitals and other government facilities; industrial operations such as food and beverage plants, waste management facilities and forest products mills; as well as stand-alone power for independent power producers or electric power utilities.

Over the next 24 months, Nexterra and GE will test and demonstrate the new power application in two phases. The total cost of this program will be approximately $30 million over two years.

In the first phase, Nexterra’s proprietary syngas conditioning technology and a GE Jenbacher J208 GS 250kW engine will be installed and tested at Nexterra’s product development center in 2009. For the second phase, a first commercial scale 2 MWe plant will be demonstrated at a customer site.