Areva gets $337.8M bioenergy deal

Buasommai Electricity Generating Co., tapped AREVA to build two turnkey 10 MWe biomass plants in North-East Thailand. These are fuelled by rice husks. AREVA already built two units in Thailand in 2009 that are fully operational.

This is part of the three contracts awarded to AREVA totaling US$337.8 million in the bioenergy sector, that includes two in Brazil.

Via its subsidiary, Koblitz, AREVA has signed a contract with Brazilian industrial group Bertin, specialized notably in the bioethanol industry, for the construction of 11 turnkey biomass plants. The wood-fired units will use dedicated eucalyptus plantations and will have a total output capacity of 380 MWe. Construction is scheduled to last four years.

The group will also carry out a second contract in the country to retrofit the power generation unit in the Seresta sugar mill located in Alagoas state in North-East of Brazil, strengthening AREVA's position on this high-potential market. The upgraded unit will generate 50 MWe of electricity, which will be sold on the local grid providing the customer with a new source of income.

These commercial successes confirm the group's position as world leading supplier of turnkey solutions for bioenergy plants. It has built over 100 units across Europe, Latin and North America, and South-East Asia, representing 3000 MWe of installed capacity and up to 500,000 tons of organic matter recycled every year.

"These contracts firmly establish AREVA as the key partner for the development of large-scale bioenergy projects worldwide. They are in line with the group's strategy to reach a 20% market share by 2012," declared Anil Srivastava, Head of AREVA's Renewables activity.