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Technology Approval Promises Lower Fuel Bills and Emissions for Greek Island
A ground-breaking technology, which significantly reduces harmful emissions from ships, has received approval from authorities in Greece to operate on a 2 megawatt (MW) pilot plant as part of the power generation facility on the island of Limnos.

The installation and application for approval of the sea water scrubber on the Power Plant Authority of Greece (DEH)-owned plant has been led by Kittiwake Developments, a partner company of Krystallon, a global manufacturer of the sea water scrubbing for marine applications.

Power generation on Greece's islands is derived from highly polluting 'Heavy Fuel Oil' burnt in medium speed diesel engines, identical to those used in ships worldwide. European directives now require DEH to use lower sulphur fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 1%, or 1,000 parts per million (ppm).

Low Sulphur Fuel Oil is more costly than the fuel currently burnt at the plant, and its use would trigger rising fuel prices for industrial and private electricity as well as regional ferry markets. The installation of the scrubber, which essentially 'washes' the fuel, means fuel costs for the plant and customers' bills will be unaffected by a fuel switch.

The approval, from the Prefecture for the Northern Aegean based on Mytilini, also ensures lower emissions levels, with sulphur emissions reduced from over 2,000 ppm to virtually zero and cancer-causing particulate emissions removed by over 80% from the atmosphere around local towns and villages.

A spokesperson for DEH commented: “This facility was constructed around 30 years ago when the region was just starting to develop a tourist industry. Since that time the population has expanded both in the summer and winter months and the environment has become a very sensitive subject. We love our island and as a priority we need to use the best available technology to protect it. The Krystallon system was fitted on time and to budget; now we have the final approval we look forward to seeing the first rewards from that effort."

Martin Lucas, Managing Director of Kittiwake Developments, said: “The Power Plant Authority has been receptive to our technology from the outset. It has taken a lot of work from our local representative in presenting the case to the environmental and public authorities and to win over acceptance from the general public. Good science works in the end though and once the benefits were explained both by us and representatives from the central government authorities in Athens we won a consensus and the necessary permits.”

Approval was granted to DEH after their commitment to fulfil environmental requirements set by the Prefecture committee of Lesvos, including the development of a 300 meter pipeline to remove cooling water and buffer tanks for the plants six generators. Installation of the plant was overseen by Kittiwake Hellas; a Kittiwake company headquartered in Athens to develop the eastern European market for sea water scrubbing and related pollution control systems.

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