Siwertell ship unloader commissioned to meet Quezon’s doubled power demands

13 Apr 2022

Bruks Siwertell has commissioned a new Siwertell ST 790 D-type ship unloader to serve Quezon Power Ltd Co’s San Buenaventura power plant in Mauban, the Philippines. The newly built 500 MW coal-fired facility is the country’s first supercritical power station and is located next to an existing Quezon power plant. The operator’s energy output has now doubled, requiring an equivalent doubling of coal intake to around three million metric tons a year. 

The new and the old power plants use the same import jetty. It is now home to two rail-travelling Siwertell ST 790 D-type unloaders, which share the existing rails and jetty belt conveyors. The first Siwertell ship unloader was delivered in 1998 and has been in operation for almost 25 years. 

“The jetty has significant weight restrictions, making the Siwertell unloader a stand-out choice for this installation,” says Per Wahlström, Project Manager, Bruks Siwertell. “Its high capacity to weight ratio was likely to have made it the only equipment with sufficient capabilities that could be installed.”

Environmental protection is also a major priority for Quezon, and any coal spillage is not permitted. Siwertell screw-type ship unloaders are one of most efficient and environment-friendly types of unloaders on the market. They deliver totally enclosed dry bulk material handling, eliminating spillage and dust emissions, and also ensure long-term value from high jetty utilization rates, reliability and the long service life of wear parts.

“Quezon knows that our machines deliver excellent operational and environmental credentials,” notes Wahlström. “The company’s satisfaction with its existing unloader certainly played a part in it ordering a second one.

“Delivery and commissioning went well and the unloader was successfully put into operation, along with operator training,” he adds. “The capacity requirements have also been met.”

Both Siwertell screw-type ship unloaders have a continuous rated capacity of 1,400t/h and are able to discharge vessels up to Panamax size. The latest unit was delivered, fully assembled via heavy-lift ship, to the site in early 2022.