The research and development project - R&D, which will build the first Thermochemical Power Generation Plant (TPGP) in the country, begins to leave the paper with the beginning of earthworks. The first equipments and containers, which will serve as administrative support, are already at the construction site on the 7,800 m² area, donated by the city of Boa Esperança, in Minas Gerais State. Tractors also prepare the site for the arrival of the machines and structure that will build the plant. With an investment of R$ 32 million, the forecast is that the operation will start in July, 2019. The plant will have the capacity to generate 1 MWh of electricity, which corresponds to 25% of all electricity used in the municipality.
"With the implementation of this research project, FURNAS hopes to create an alternative to the serious challenge of disposing municipal solid waste. The TPGP will transform waste into an economic asset, generating income and social development. It is still a research, but there will be a future work to meet the commercialization of the energy generated by the plant”, says Nelson de Araújo dos Santos, manager of the research and development department of FURNAS.
Pioneering Technology
The FURNAS Research and Development project, registered under the number PD-0394-1602 / 2016, deals with the development of an Energy Generation Unit from Urban Solid Waste, through Fluidized Bed Gasification Technology. The technique can be applied as an innovative socio-environmental solution with 100% national technology, chosen from a careful work of prospecting alternatives in the national and international market. The plant will use a thermochemical reactor to convert the energy contained in the RDF (Residue Derivated Fuel - generated by processing urban solid waste), into electrical energy. The process will eliminate soil and groundwater contamination, not generate leachate, in addition to complying with Law 12.305 / 10 – regarding the National Solid Waste Policy as well as environmental resolutions for atmospheric emissions. Carbogas Energia is a partner of FURNAS in this project.
“The project is based on gasification technology, which is quite different from incineration. Atmospheric emissions are very low, allowing the complete disposal of municipal solid waste in general. We will produce a combustible gas, which will be used to generate electricity ", completes Nelson.
Solidary Christmas
While the works are gaining strength, employees from Furnas plant, located in São José da Barra, about 135 kilometers away from Boa Esperança, mobilized to gift 32 children, from 1 to 14 years old, from the families of recyclable material collectors in the municipality dump. The action is also part of the TPGP implementation process, since the company works to strengthen public policies in the municipalities where it has activities.
Since September, FURNAS has promoted monthly meetings with families, offering free services, such as lectures on health, registration at the National Employment System, recycling workshops and other professional courses. In Boa Esperança, the company achieved 12 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations, to which Furnas has signed.
Fonte: Furnas Centrais Elétricas S.A / http://www.boaesperanca.mg.gov.br/