East Hartford, Connecticut: Pratt & Whitney Power Systems announced May 2 that it has been awarded a contract to deliver a 13 MW biomass heat recovery power plant for West Fraser Timber Company in British Columbia. The state-of-the-art power plant will provide clean, carbon-neutral power to the company's Chetwynd Forest Industries plant utilizing two Turboden 65 HRS Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbogenerators. Turboden is a Pratt & Whitney Power Systems company, and Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.
West Fraser was selected by BC Hydro under the BC Hydro Bioenergy Phase II Call for Power program for two of their sites totaling 180 GWh/year from wood biomass. Through this program, BC Hydro awarded 20-year electricity purchase agreements to West Fraser.
The deal was announced at Pratt & Whitney's sixth annual Media Day, where business leaders briefed reporters on the latest Pratt & Whitney programs and discussed the company's strategy and milestones for 2012, including the company's continued growth in renewable energy.
West Fraser is a leading wood products company with operations in western Canada and the southern United States, producing softwood lumber, MDF, plywood, pulp, newsprint, laminated veneer lumber and wood chips. The installation of the ORC unit at West Fraser's Chetwynd facility is a part of efforts to improve operational efficiency.