Green electricity from new technology – first Opcon Powerbox order from Italy

Opcon, the energy and environmental technology Group, has won its first order from Italy for a steam-powered Opcon Powerbox for production of green electricity. The customer is Ekipo s.r.l., an Italian engineering company that develops, produces and sells turn-key solutions for the process industry, including plants that take care of organic waste. Delivery of the steam-powered Opcon Powerbox will take place in November 2010. It will be integrated in an installation for burning organic waste designed, developed and produced by Ekipo for a customer in Italy. “Opcon has now signed five agreements for deliveries of Opcon Powerbox in the past three months alone. This means yet another breakthrough for our new technology and it’s our first order for Opcon Powerbox in Italy. With its high electricity prices and electricity shortages, Italy is a highly interesting market for our technology that produces electricity from hot water or steam,” says Rolf Hasselström, President and CEO of Opcon. “This is our first installation at waste-burning plant. It’s an interesting application with a major environmental benefit. Burning organic waste to generate green electricity also means there is less landfill, with the leaks and emissions that are associated with that. This really is a good example of Waste to Value,” says Per Hedebäck, head of Opcon’s Renewable Energy business area. “We see several advantages with Opcon’s Powerbox technology for producing electricity, and we are noting growing opportunities for this type of plant on the Italian market. Burning organic waste to produce green electricity is an area that is expanding in Italy and we are now focusing more resources on developing and supplying this type of complete solution for our customers,” says Massimo Meneghello, CEO of Ekipo s.r.l. A part of Opcon’s Waste to Value concept, Opcon Powerbox is Opcon’s proprietary product for production of carbon-free electricity from waste and surplus heat at temperatures as low as 55°C. Opcon Powerbox can be installed in large process plants, power plants, on large diesel engines and after adjustment onboard large ships. Opcon Powerbox can produce up to 6,000 MW per year.