Explosion at biomass plant kills three
The blast occurred at the Brilon chipboard plant in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, when a thermal-oil boiler exploded. This is the second fatal power plant-related explosion in less than week. The deaths in Brilon preceded the massive blast at the new Middletown Energy Center gas-fired power plant in Connecticut at the weekend, which blew part of the structure away, killing five contractors and injuring a dozen more.
Egger Group, the owners of the Brilon plant, said that a replacement boiler exploded. In a statement, the company said: "The accident occurred in the biomass heating plant on the premises of the Sauerland wood-based material manufacturer. A replacement boiler, which had been recently approved by a certified companyÂ… exploded. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation. Egger is fully supporting these investigations.
Company management has informed the families of the deceased employees about the accident, expressed its condolences and pledged its support. The employees were aged 21, 59 and 62 years."
The explosion caused a fire, which took 47 fire fighters 90 minutes to bring under control. More than a 1,000 people are employed at the plant.
Related News
IAEA - COVID-19 and Low Carbon Electricity Lessons for the Future
LONDON - The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the operation of power systems across the globe and offered a glimpse of a future electricity mix dominated by low carbon sources.
The performance of nuclear power, in particular, demonstrates how it can support the transition to a resilient, clean energy system well beyond the COVID-19 recovery phase.
Restrictions on economic and social activity during the COVID-19 outbreak have led to an unprecedented and sustained decline in demand for electricity in many countries, in the order of 10% or more relative to 2019 levels over a period of a few months, thereby creating challenging conditions…
