Energy from biogas and wind power in Poland

In 2009, the Polish government decided to actively promote the use of renewable energies through to 2030, and thus also the construction of agricultural biogas facilities and wind parks. One of Poland’s largest and most advanced biogas power generating facilities is currently being constructed in Stalowa Wola, a town in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in south-east Poland. The concrete required was formulated with a superplasticiser from MC-Bauchemie, one that was also specified for the construction of a wind park in Lancut, likewise in the Carpathian foothills.
The contractor and client for the biogas power station, one of Poland’s biggest with an output capacity of 450 MW, is the Polish company TAURON, the second largest energy utility in the country. The construction company STALPRZEM from Stalowa Wola, an MC customer of ten years’ standing, supplied the concrete for the project from its own concrete works located close to the site.
The concrete specified on the basis of exposure class X0 and XC3 was to be used in particular for the floor slab and therefore needed to be exceptionally stable, of immaculate quality and easy to apply. As the cement used did not respond particularly well to conventional admixtures in preliminary trials, STALPRZEM decided in consultation with MC to use MC-PowerFlow 5100, a superplasticiser based on the very latest polycarboxilate ether technology from MC. MC-PowerFlow 5100 reduces the adhesiveness of the concrete. It combines long-lasting flowability with a strong initial plasticising effect, and moderate dosages with impressive robustness and very good application properties. With MC-PowerFlow 5100, STALPRZEM gets precisely the homogeneous concrete mixture with long-lasting workability and good rheological properties needed for the project. Since the start of construction in May 2014, some 30,000 m3 of concrete has been put in place. The biogas power plant is expected to be completed and commissioned in the course of this year.

Windmills anchored in a strong foundation

Stable, high-quality concretes with compressive strengths of C30/37, C35/45 and C45/55 were required for the foundations of 27 wind power generators in a wind park close to Lancut, a small Polish town in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Good experience gained from other projects with MC-PowerFlow 5100 and the requisite long and stable retention of consistency it offers led to the ready-mix manufacturer STYROBUD placing its faith in this MC superplasticiser. The concrete had to be transported over long distances in excess of 40 kilometres from the production site to the construction site, which meant retention of the right consistency was an essential property. The project began in October 2014 and was completed in March 2015. The wind park has since been in operation, supplying clean electricity to the region.