Uniwax is a manufacturer of loincloths in the Ivory Coast. Steam and hot water needed for the process are generated by old fuel-oil and LPG boilers, and the electrical power supply to the factory is intermittent.
To improve the energy supply to the factory, Uniwax studied the possibility of implementing a biomass boiler or a small co-generation plant of 1.5 MWe attached to the factory. Uniwax entrusted the feasibility study of the project to Enertime.
As heat production from LPG and fuel oil are very expensive, the profitability of a biomass project was found to be quite attractive. To guarantee a good source of sustainable biomass, Enertime studied the possibility of supplying the plant with biomass from existing plantations. Enertime engineers went out on the field to carry out the study and then designed a biomass supply strategy.
Enertime recommended implementing a co-generation biomass plant of 1.5 MWe, with biomass sourced from hevea plantations which were at the end of their productive life. Considering the several power cuts and the high price of the MWh, the project was found economically attractive in terms of developing the biomass energy industry in the Ivory Coast. The company management and shareholders validated the project for execution.
