Sea Water Scrubbet at Limnos PPC Power Plant

Since 2002 Martechnic Hellas (MRH) has deployed a systematic programme aiming to launch the Sea Water Scrubbet (SWS) in the Greek Shipping market. The application of SWS for ship emissions reduction was at that time quite premature due to lack of established legislation restricting the high sulphur oil use in large combustion engines.

A few years later, EU applied the 33/2005 directive imposing certain limitations on large HFO consumers.

Early 2007, Martechnic Hellas approached Public Power Corporation (PPC) in Greece, as a typical heavy consumer of HFO, presenting the SWS desulphurization technology and its benefits. Considering the new legislation era, PPC accepted KWH technical and commercial proposal, accepting to install KRYSTALLON SWS in its Limnos island Power Plant, as a pilot installation.

KWH and its principal, Krystallon Ltd. –at that time a BP Group company– accepted the mission determined to install a state of art desulphurization unit, as a showcase for the customer (PPC) and the local (Greek) competent authorities responsible for Environmental protection and control.

The contribution of KRYSTALLON scrubber in the environmental protection of the Limnos wider area around PPC’ Power Plant would be invaluable. KRYSTALLON scrubber –by design– is reducing dramatically the SOx, NOx, and Particulates, far below the acceptable levels, irrelevant of the fuel quality (re: high sulphur HFO). Therefore this was apparently a unique opportunity for PPC and Greek state to leverage on this pilot installation, experience and learn the technology, while taking a leap forward in effective environmental protection of areas surrounding large Power Plants fueled by HFO –primarily in the Aegean islands–.

Concurrently:

• PPC’s scale of business was offering a great opportunity of significant cost reduction due to the growing price difference between high and low sulphur fuel, as well as due to saving a costly deployment of power plant machinery modifications necessary to enable administering, processing and burning low sulphur oil.
• Develop a programme based on emission trading EU legislation, where PPC would offer emission credits to Aegean coastal passenger ships, resulting in lower cost of public transportation in islands. This would support both local people, as well as promote further the touristic development of Greek islands.
• Last but not least, reduce health risks to Aegean island urban areas, caused by the numerous Power Plants operating by PPC, making use of large combustion engines (re: Rochester Institute of Technology paper, published on Jule 9, 2007, on Mortality from Ship Emissions).

On summer 2007 Martechnic Hellas completed the Scrubber installation in Limnos Power Plant of PPC. However since then –in the context of licensing– spent enormous effort, time and money in defending the bureaucracy which presented numerous obstacles, loops, delays, postponements in a growing circle of authorities with overlapping responsibilities and controls.

Martechnic Hellas was and is still convinced that due to the growing cost of crude oil (end of 2010 is approaching to 100USD/barrel) the proposed (and contracted) solution, as offered by KRYSTALLON, is an obvious way forward.