The selection of some large scale co-firing representative demonstration power plants such as Rodenhuize-GDF Suez (Belgium), 200 MWe, starting from co-firing of 35% of bituminous coal, 45% of wood pellets, 10% of natural gas, 5% of foundry gas and in the following to 100% of wood pellets, Fusina-ENEL (Italy), 320 MWe, co-firing of 95% of bituminous coal and 5% of Solid Recovered Fuel and Kardia-PPC (Greece), 360 MWe, co-combustion of 90% of lignite and 10% of cardoon provided by ad hoc energy crop, allows a long-term monitoring and assessment of the most relevant applications such as different fuel supply chain scenarios, fuel qualities (agriculture residues, energy crops, wood pellets, etc.) and advanced co-firing techniques of different power plants burning lignite and bituminous coals.

To evaluate the role of co-firing in a sustainable energy market, social-economical aspects, such as impact on local fuel-markets, are also in the focus of the project. DEBCO project will provide the electricity supply industry in Europe with very valuable, and well documented, plant experience on a number of the key technical options available for increasing the share of biomass co-firing in large coal-fired power plants and for the diversification of the range of biomass feedstock types that can be co-fired. This experience is relevant for future co-firing technology deployment involving both the retrofit of existing power plants and the advanced ones. The project also assists the ongoing efforts in most European countries to increase the portion of electricity supplied from renewable sources.