SPIE Est takes part in the building of a Diester (biofuel) plant
2007/01/30
SPIE Est won the contract to install industrial electric power and instrumentation systems at a Diester production plant in Nogent-sur-Seine for SAIPOL, industrial subsidiary of Sofiprotéol (a finance company in the French vegetable oil and protein sector).
Diester is a biofuel made from vegetable oils for use in all diesel vehicles. It is mixed with diesel fuel and does not require any technical modification to diesel engines. Of vital importance for the environment, the production of biofuels is being stepped up in France which has set itself a biofuel production target of 2.3 millions tonnes for 2008. In 2005, Diester represented 80% of the biofuels in the French market.
The plant at Nogent-sur-Seine will process one million tonnes of rapeseed and produce 250,000 tonnes of Diester. The contract, entrusted to the Lorraine Champagne-Ardenne region, is worth €4.7 million and will mobilise a team of 55 site personnel and 15 supervisory personnel.
The project includes engineering studies and drawings, and the supply and installation of a large amount of equipment:
- 340 engines,
- 1,400 sensors (800 in ASI network and 600 in wired network),
- 800 light fixtures, 110 emergency units, 100 power sockets,
- 162 km of cables and 16 km of cableways.
The team will perform all the wiring work (power, sensors, networks, low-voltage distribution and lighting) and will install all the electric power and instrumentation equipment for all the plants' sensors.
The project is scheduled to start in February and is due for completion in July 2007.
Contact:
SPIE SA
Pascal Omnès
Communications Director
Tel.: +33 (0)1 34 22 58 21
e-mail: pascal.omnes@spie.com