E.ON has built and now commissioned a process steam generator for Dow Benelux in Terneuzen, Netherlands. As part of a long-term partnership, E.ON will operate the plant as owner for 15 years. E.ON has invested around €30 million in the project.

Terneuzen is Dow's largest production site outside the USA. It produces chemical intermediates and plastics that are used as raw materials by other industries to make amongst others packaging, coatings and foams. E.ON operates the process steam generator in support of Dow’s existing power plant and is responsible for an important component of the intelligent energy infrastructure at the site.

The plant, which is tailored to the site, utilizes off gases from Dow production that contain up to 45 percent hydrogen. By using the heat from the flue gas, the plant is highly efficient and achieves a thermal efficiency of 95 percent. Thanks to the advanced technology, the strict new limits for nitrogen oxide emissions are safely met.

E.ON designed the large boiler as the racehorse among process steam generators. In less than 5 minutes it can increase its capacity from 50 tons of steam per hour (t/h) to its maximum capacity of 350 t/h. The plant thus also serves as a buffer and guarantees stable production processes at all times.

“We consider it an honour that Dow Benelux, as an operator of critical chemical infrastructure, is relying on E.ON's know-how. Clean and intelligent energy solutions will be a decisive competitive factor for the industry in the future. We will do everything in our power to ensure that Dow can use this advantage in the long term,” says Stefan Håkansson, Global Director City Energy Solutions and CEO E.ON Business Solutions at E.ON.

Anton van Beek, Area President Dow Benelux, UK, Nordic, France & Iberica explains: “The new boiler operated by E.ON will enhance the operational flexibility of the power and steam infrastructure on our Terneuzen site. It will make the production more future-proof and Dow Terneuzen will be able to respond more flexibly to developments in the electricity market, including increased availability of renewable alternatives. It also enables us to make even better use of the by-products from the cracking-process, making the process more sustainable.”

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