21 January 2005 - The UK based energy services company, Mitsui Babcock, has fired the first in a new generation of supercritical power plant boilers at the Changshu power plant in China.

The Changshu contract was the first supercritical contract win for Mitsui Babcock and is seen as a major milestone for the company.

Managing director of Asia Pacific, John Prosser, said: "This is not only good business for us, it also means the aging coal fleet in China could be replaced by new, efficient boilers which are kinder to the environment, making an impact which would extend far beyond China's borders if extended to the entire fleet."

The boiler will provide efficient, environmentally cleaner power for the coal fired power station and is capable of reducing emissions by at least 20 per cent compared to a sub-critical plant of a similar output. The potential to introduce biomass co-firing could reduce the emissions still further.

The supercritical technology at Changshu achieved the Hydraulic Test milestone in 22 months rather than the typical programme of 30 months. This time saving involved the water in the boiler being pumped to 1.5 times working pressure, proving the manufacturing and construction of pressure parts.

Commissioning of the new supercritical boiler with the full load of 600 MW is anticipated within the next two months.