<article><p class="lead">French utility Engie permanently closed its 80MW biomass-fired Les Awirs power plant in Belgium earlier this week, on 31 August.</p><p>The plant was scheduled to close midway through this year.</p><p>Les Awirs started up in 1951 as a coal-fired plant, and its unit 4 was converted to 100pc biomass-firing in 2005. Its units 1, 2 and 3 were shut down in 1998 and unit 5 in 2013.</p><p>Les Awirs' unit 4 had 35pc efficiency and consumed about 400,000 t/yr of wood pellets when running at full capacity.</p><p>"Engie does not have any plans for a new biomass-fired power plant in the future, but is analysing the possibility of a new gas-fired power plant on the site of Les Awirs," the firm told <i>Argus</i>.</p><p>The utility still operates the 205MW biomass-fired Rodenhuize (Max Green) facility in Belgium.</p><p class="bylines"><i>By Georgia Gratton</i></p></article>