ABB reported July 18 that it’s secured its ninth contract with Toyo Engineering Corp. to implement its Ability Symphony Plus distributed control system (DCS) at the Wakayama Gobo biomass power plant located about 120 km south of Osaka.
When it starts up in 2025, this 50-megawatt (MW), biomass power plant will use wood pellets and agricultural byproduct as a feedstock, and will be capable of supplying enough power for up to 110,000 Japanese household per year. The plant is being developed in a partnership by Enewill (formerly JAG Energy), Osaka Gas and SMFL MIRAI Partners, which employed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Toyo to design and build the facility.
ABB’s DCS solution will deliver complete visibility of operations, enabling operators to make informed decisions in real time to help optimize production, improve processes, and drive efficiencies. ABB will also deploy its Adaptive Execution project management methodology, which utilizes digitalization to speed up delivery schedules and achieve faster site startup.
The new order is part of an ongoing collaboration between ABB and Toyo, with the company integrating its automation solutions at eight other biomass facilities being constructed across Japan. “In its sixth Basic Energy Plan, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a target of 8 gigawatts (GW) for installed biomass capacity in the country by 2030, which would cover 5% of its projected power demand,” says Brandon Spencer, president of ABB Energy Industries. “The nine projects we’re involved in will deliver a collective generation capacity of 500 MW, achieving over 6% of the government’s target and providing energy to power more than 1 million households.”
