MHIEC Receives Order to Refurbish Core Equipment of 135 Tons/day Capacity MSW Incineration Plant in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture -- Work Aimed at Extending Facility's Service Life --

Tokyo, November 9, 2015 -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has received an order from Ushiku City in Ibaraki Prefecture to refurbish the core equipment of a municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plant. The order calls for refurbishment of a fluidized bed incineration plant (Notes 1) with a capacity of 135 tons per day (tpd), to maintain its proper functioning and extend its service life as well as reduce CO₂ emissions through enhanced energy conservation. The order is valued at 1,930 million yen (sales tax excluded). The work is slated for completion in March 2020.

The Ushiku Clean Center was originally designed and constructed by MHI and completed in March 1999. It consists of an incineration plant with three fluidized bed incinerators, 45 tpd capacity each, and auxiliary equipment, plus a recycling facility with a capacity of 18 tons per five hours that performs bulky waste shredding, sorting of glass bottles, plastic bottles and cans, and bottom ash recycling.

The order placed to MHIEC calls for refurbishment of the key equipment of the Center's incineration plant. Work will consist of replacement or revamping of superannuated equipment used primarily for incineration, combustion gas cooling, flue gas treatment, waste heat utilization and ventilation, as well as electrical and instrumentation systems. The refurbishment project will also target enhanced energy conservation, largely through the adoption of inverters and high-efficiency motors in key equipment, and a greater than 3 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions, thereby contributing to curbing of global warming.

Recently the number of projects to modify and improve existing MSW incineration plants, both to extend their operational lives and to reduce their impact on global warming, is in an increasing trend. Moves in this direction are also gathering further momentum with the central government's introduction in 2010 of a state subsidy system (Notes 2).

MHIEC took over MHI's waste treatment plant business in 2008, acquiring MHI's technological development capabilities in environmental systems and its abundant expertise in the construction and operation of waste management facilities both in Japan and overseas. Based on its strong track record, MHIEC today is in a prime position to provide comprehensive solutions incorporating all aspects from plant construction to operation.

Leveraging this latest order and its solid track record, going forward MHIEC will proactively propose further energy-saving enhancements and system improvements for stable operation at existing waste treatment facilities, as well as ways to reduce lifecycle costs, including operation and maintenance costs, in a quest to expand its business in this field further.

(Notes 1) A fluidized bed furnace has a tower-shaped incineration chamber containing sand at its bottom. By blowing pressurized air from the bottom, the sand is stirred and fluidized. Wastes poured into the chamber are stirred with the fluidized high-temperature sand and ignite and burn in relatively short time.

(Notes 2) This program, which falls under the jurisdiction of Japan's Ministry of the Environment, targets effective use of existing waste treatment facilities as a contribution to the prevention of global warming. Local (city, town or village) governments that seek to extend the operational life of their MSW facilities are eligible to receive subsidies covering one-third to half of the project cost, dependent on the CO₂ reduction rate.

PRESS CONTACT:
Sales & Business Development Division Domestic Sales & Business Development Department