Director of Lyondell launches operations at E.ON Benelux’s efficient combined heat and power plant
Rotterdam, 7 June 2004 - On Monday 7 June 2004, Jos P. Benders, director European Manufacturing at Lyondell Chemical, will press the button to start up E.ON Benelux’s new combined heat and power plant on the Maasvlakte near Rotterdam. This plant has been constructed to provide electricity for the new factory nearby, operated by the U.S. chemical company Lyondell and owned by Lyondell together with Bayer. The start up ceremony will be carried out jointly with Jannes J. Verwer, chairman of the executive board of E.ON Benelux.
The combined heat and power plant is fully integrated with E.ON Benelux’s electrical power station on the Maasvlakte. This highly environmentally friendly plant generates electricity, steam (400 tons per hour), cooling water (20,500 cubic metres per hour) and other products.
Construction of this “full-service utility plant” by E.ON’s own engineering branch involves an investment of some € 100 million. The cooling water started in September 2003 and E.ON has been supplying the other products as from December 2003.
Lyondell and Bayer are internationally operating companies working as a joint venture to build one of the world’s largest propylene oxide production plants on the Maasvlakte. Uses of the semi-finished products made here will include plastics, paints and coatings. This new propylene oxide plant adjacent to the E.ON Power Plant, was officially opened on 19 March.
E.ON Benelux is part of E.ON Energie, Europe’s largest private power supplier. E.ON Benelux has its own electrical power capacity and also supplies Energy Related Services. E.ON Benelux won the contact in the face of stiff competition. The partnership with Lyondell/Bayer has taken the form of a 15-year supply contract.
Ir. J.J. Verwer: “This is co-makership at the highest level. One hears a lot about it, but few companies actually realise such a complex collaboration in practice. This has been enabled by the entrepreneurship and drive at Lyondell and E.ON.”
J.P. Benders: “Reliable utilities are a basic must for our processes and for a meaningful return on investment, plus uninterrupted product quality. We make this happen through good integration of innovation around electricity steam generation and fuel interchange, as well as advanced processes.
For some time Lyondell’s strategy has been to put this in the hands of dedicated specialists. For this project we came to E.ON by means of a partnership lasting several years. Lyondell and Bayer congratulate E.ON Benelux with the official start up of this new combined heat and power plant.”