FORESTALIA – BIOMASS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Installation of two weighbridges for the control of collected biomass

Giropes has participated in the creation of one of the most important biomass plants in Spain, located in Cubillos del Sil (León), with the installation of two weighbridges to control access to the plant.

This ambitious project is not the first time Giropes has demonstrated its commitment to participating in projects related to preserving the planet and the environment; we have already installed scales at dozens of recycling points and waste plants. We also have facilities in other plants related to Biomass or wood treatment for the conservation of forests and forest areas.

Spain is one of the countries in Europe that generate the largest amount of biomass of all types. They are able to take advantage of this natural resource to produce energy while also reducing CO2 production.

Annual production of CO2 in an average biomass plant is 200,000 tons less than a conventional coal-fired power plant. It also takes advantage of natural forest resources by protecting the country's forest areas against fires which can be ignited by the dead matter found there. Specifically, the biomass plant in Cubillos del Sil will produce 500 times less pollution than a conventional coal-fired power plant.

The Cubillos del Sil biomass plant is about to become one of the largest forest biomass plants in the Iberian Peninsula and in Southern Europe. The plant will occupy an area of approximately 100,000 square meters and will produce 49.9MW of power, supplying up to 50,000 homes.

A few months after the Cubillos del Sil plant opened and went into operation, it was estimated that a plant of this size would need around 280,000 tonnes of biomass every year to operate at full capacity and achieve the highest possible efficiency.

The Cubillos del Sil biomass plant will also have a positive impact on local farmers, who will benefit from the opportunity to sell cereal straw. This will provide a boost to the primary sector and revive agricultural activity in the area.

Giropes has installed two BPGSM weighbridges with entry and exit control systems to regulate traffic onto them. These scales have allowed Forestalia, the company that is responsible for the plant's operation, to thoroughly control all of the biomass that enters the plant and, consequently, the efficiency of the plant and the energy it produces.