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The North American Forest Products Industry self-generates over 60% of the energy required to support its manufacturing processes. Readily available fuels including wood waste and byproducts from the pulping process are burned efficiently to product steam and electrical energy, both which are required in the papermaking process. The future is bright for on-site electrical co-generation plants at paper mills. Compared to fossil fuels, energy sources used by the industry are considered carbon neutral and environmentally friendly. As a result, Agenda 2020, the industry's 20 year plan to move forward into the future, outlines plans for the industry to be a net-exporter of electrical energy within the next 15-20 years. Black liquor gasification and other promising technologies, position the industry as an important contributor to the world's future energy outlook.

Today most integrated pulp and paper mills own and operate at least one steam-turbine generator, typically rated from 10 to 80 Megawatts. Several of the industry's existing generator assets were built in the '50's and '60's and are beginning to show their age. Eaton has demonstrated industry leadership as a total solutions provider in upgrading existing generator systems at paper mills. Four areas where Eaton's Electrical Engineering Services Organization offers solutions include:

• Retrofitting existing high resistance or low resistance generator grounding systems to Hybrid Grounding, improving both protection and reliability.
• Adding a low-cost packaged Partial Discharge monitoring system to detect potential generator insulation failures - including a RTD monitoring package and Eaton's Electrical Engineering Services 24/7/365 on-line monitoring service.
• Vacuum retrofit of obsolete MV generator circuit breakers for improved protection and reliability.
• Replacing obsolete generator excitation systems with new static digital exciters for improved controls and communications.

As on-site power generation systems become more important to integrated paper mills, Eaton offers leading solutions to assure reliable, low cost operation. With over 100 years of industry experience, we understand power generation systems and have the answers to assure your existing generation assets are running efficiently.