BWSC highlights the power of green hydrogen in the global energy revolution
Burmeister and Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC) is an industry-leading provider of specialized consultancy, engineering, installation, operation, and maintenance services at power plants and green energy facilities across the globe. Traditionally focused on energy solutions for engine and boiler-based plants, BWSC is now taking on new challenges to aid the global transition to green energy.
Originating from its former engine division, the business built and installed diesel engines before being founded as a separate company in 1980, with a focus on developing innovative technologies to enhance plant efficiency. The company was purchased by its current owners, Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Holdings (MES), in 1990, which has since provided the business with long-term project stability and financial security.
BWSC headquarters remain in Allerod, Denmark, and the business has evolved into a global service provider for power plants based on thermal plant technologies including biomass plants, waste to energy facilities and power to X. With focus on O&M, servicing and delivering green energy projects. Today, its portfolio boasts responsibility for the design and construction of myriad power plants around the world, as well as numerous Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contracts.
“Our aim is to provide our customers and the wider community with ever better energy,” begins Carl Palmer, Plant Manager. “We recently strengthened our presence in the UK, now operating and maintaining a total of 12 renewable energy sites across the country, and we are always looking for opportunities to add to this portfolio.”
One such plant is the Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant (REP); a straw-powered biomass plant in Norfolk, England, with a generational capacity of 44.2 megawatts. “Snetterton REP has been operational for just over six years now, with high availability and efficiency,” Carl details. “With a long-term vision in mind, the designers factored adaptability into the plant’s evolutionary capabilities, meaning it comfortably met the environmental targets outlined in the Best Available Practices review.”
BWSC completed construction in 2017, and now manages the plant under a 15-year O&M contract headed up by Carl. He comments: “We are always identifying new opportunities for both expansion and improvements, often collaborating with our clients,” he says. “The long-term aim for Snetterton is to optimize the plant’s safety, environmental performance, and energy availability.”
On a personal note, Carl reflects: “The role of Plant Manager at Snetterton presented itself as an amazing opportunity for me to further my career, taking the biomass plant all the way from construction and commissioning to commercial operation. Having initially started my career via an apprenticeship over 20 years ago, I am driven by continual development and enjoy being part of the energy revolution.”
As a crucial, long-term player in the global green energy transition, BWSC is now focusing on emerging markets within the renewables sector. “In 2021, we established a team dedicated to identifying new opportunities within green energy solutions and it seemed like a natural step to explore carbon capture and Power-to-X projects,” Carl explains.
The company then confirmed its focus on Power-to-Hydrogen projects in 2022, partnering with Green Hydrogen Systems on a prototype project shortly after. “We handle general project management, as well as a balance of plant engineering, installation works, and utilities connections of their new X-Series prototype currently being installed and tested at GreenLab Skive Circular Industrial Park in Denmark,” Carl elaborates.
“In the second half of 2022, we also partnered with 
Andel Energi (Andel) on their Glansanger Biogas facility near Sønderborg, Denmark,” he adds. “This project is also a green hydrogen plant, where hydrogen will be utilized to upgrade biogas from the existing plant, which is owned by Nature Energy.” The plant will be supplied by Andel, with BWSC acting as a sub-supplier of Mechanical Balance-of-Plant (MBoP) equipment and installation.
Carl further explains the technicality of the process: “Biogas typically contains around 40 percent carbon dioxide, which is usually extracted from the biogas and vented to the atmosphere. However, carbon dioxide can be converted to natural gas by adding hydrogen, thereby dramatically increasing biogas plants’ yield.”
Due to its wide range of applications, green hydrogen plays a key role in the global shift to renewable energy, so it is unsurprising that BWSC is seeing a dramatic increase in the demand for green hydrogen. “The demand for such plants is surging, meaning we now require a significant scale-up of electrolysis capacity,” Carl expands. “These plants are important steps towards our strategic goal of providing the next generation with sustainable energy solutions.”
With this forward-thinking approach in mind, he states: “We are committed to serving our customers in the best possible ways. We constantly seek to better understand their needs and adapt our offerings in line with their demands, so that we can continue to be a leading service provider and trusted partner in the future.
“Further afield, we will deliver efficient and reliable energy solutions to facilitate the global transition to sustainable energy by increasing our output and expanding further within the green energy sector, especially in power-to-hydrogen projects,” Carl details.
“Finally, a continuous aim of ours,” he concludes, “is to expand our service footprint and engineering competencies to support our customers in enhancing performance through digitalization, plant upgrades, and technical services.”