28 April 2008 - French power engineering major Alstom has won a contract to supply the boilers for two 800 MW units at RWE Power's existing coal-fired Westfalen power station, located in northwestern Germany, near the town of Hamm.

Under the terms of the contract, the value of which is approximately €500m ($782m), Alstom will supply the complete boiler islands and auxiliary equipment, including erection and commissioning.

When completed in 2011, the new units will reportedly achieve cycle efficiencies of about 46 per cent, substantially more than the European average of 36 per cent efficiency for existing bituminous coal-fired plants.

The new Westfalen supercritical boilers are expected to reduce all emissions, including carbon dioxide, by about one-third compared to the fleet of older units. The levels of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions will also be reduced.