Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) has signed a new long term operations and maintenance agreement with E.ON for the company’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant at TCE’s Winnington site.
The CHP plant generates 96MW of electricity and up to 400MW of heat in the form of steam for use by TCE to produce soda ash and sodium bicarbonate in Northwich, Cheshire. The CHP also provides heat and electricity to local industrial users and supplies electricity to the local distribution network for use by consumers and businesses, as well as supporting the wider UK electricity system.
The five-year agreement marks the continuation of a successful collaboration between the parties, first established in 2000 when E.ON built the CHP plant for TCE under an own and operate arrangement. In 2013, TCE acquired the plant from E.ON, which continues to operate and maintain on TCE’s behalf.
The partnership is built upon achieving the lowest whole-life cost of operating the plant, whilst delivering the energy required to operate TCE’s chemical manufacturing processes.
The arrangement draws on the unique skills of both parties, with E.ON’s business heat and power specialists bringing a wealth of CHP plant operational, safety, health and regulatory expertise. TCE provides E.ON with clear operational requirements for the inputs needed for the chemical manufacturing processes and manages the commercial aspects of gas purchasing and sales of electricity and steam to local industries and to the national grid. TCE has also embarked upon a digital transformation in its energy business to maximise productivity and to ensure the CHP is agile and able to respond quickly to grid events.
