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COMMERCIAL FEATURE Mobile gas turbines bridging the power gap By Ranjit Singh, APR Energy Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa. P ower shortages are estimated to cost the global economy over US$500 trillion in lost gross domestic product (GDP) each year. The shortages exist in both emerging and developed markets and are driven by factors ranging from rapid economic development and urbanisation in emerging markets to advanced ageing of power plants and infrastructure around the world. Many countries face critical electricity shortages impacting economic growth, political stability, and quality of life. Unfortunately, new power plants often take three to five years to construct, and due to lack of accessible funding and project sponsors, many new permanent power projects cannot break ground. Consequently, countries endure blackouts and brownouts, and in many cases, provide no power at all to their constituents, leaving industries and private homes competing for the inadequate supply of power available. However, due to advancements in mobile technology, there is a solution – mobile aero-derivative turbines. Using the same technology found in many permanent power plants, these dual-fuel turbines are rapidly transported by air, land, or ocean and quickly installed to deliver large blocks of power within days or weeks, not years. Mobile turbine plants are scalable from 25 MW to more than 400 MW, the equivalent of a conventional power plant. They are used for a wide variety of applications, including baseload and peaking power generation, bridging solutions, grid stability and support, distributed generation, and dedicated industrial generation. While mobile power plants and fast-track power have been around for a number of years using diesel and natural gas reciprocating engine technology, the incorporation of mobile turbines for these applications is a fairly new concept. The highly power-dense and reliable units can integrate into existing infrastructure and operate on a semi-permanent basis, with each unit producing the megawatt equivalent of 15 to 20 reciprocating 126 A mobile turbine power plant in Samnu, Libya, part of APR Energy’s 450 MW solution in the country. generators and using less than a third of the land space. Besides its compact footprint, a key advantage of a mobile turbine solution is the operational flexibility it brings, with the ability to switch seamlessly between diesel and natural gas. Mobile turbines also produce only a fraction of the NOx and other pollutants that diesel reciprocating engines generate and produce significantly less noise, making them a good fit for environmentally conscious customers and markets with stringent regulatory controls. As a result of these advantages, mobile gas turbines are the fastest- growing technology in the market for interim and bridging power, growing from virtually no share of the fast track power market in 2010, to over 20% share in 2013. For projects of 100 MW and above, mobile turbines now represent almost 40% of the market, a testament to their advantages for larger-scale projects.* APR Energy, the world’s leading provider of fast track mobile turbine power generation following its 2013 acquisition of the GE power rental business, has pioneered the use of mobile turbines for fast-track power. Following Japan’s devastating tsunami in 2011, APR Energy provided 100 MW of mobile turbine power capacity as part of an overall 203 MW solution. In 2012, APR Energy provided a 100 MW turbine solution to Uruguay, expanding it by an additional 200 MW in 2013. The mobile power solution now covers 30% of the country’s backup thermal generation, helping Uruguay become self-sufficient in power production for the first time in 15 years. Mobile turbine technology has most recently taken a foothold in Africa. Using 12 mobile turbines, APR Energy installed four mobile turbine power plants in Libya in 2013. Despite a challenging operational environment, the plants were all installed and operational within four to five months from contract signing and generate 250 MW of output as part of an overall 450 MW, six-plant project. The technology has also made its way to sub-Saharan Africa. The government of Angola, which originally contracted APR Energy for 40 MW of capacity using reciprocating engine generators in 2013, further expanded the contract by an additional 40 MW of mobile turbine power due to a need for fuel flexibility and higher power output from a smaller site. With the power gap expected to continue widening over the next several years, customers are looking for larger blocks of power that require less space, offer fuel flexibility, are environmentally friendly, and can integrate into their existing facilities. ESI * APR Energy analysis excluding BRIC countries. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ranjit Singh has worked globally in the infrastructure sector in various management and finance related roles. Prior to working with APR Energy, he was head of corporate finance and treasurer of Lebara Group and worked as CFO for AES Africa Power Corporation. ABOUT THE COMPANY: APR Energy is the world’s leading fast-track mobile turbine power business. Through its highly mobile, turnkey power plants, APR Energy rapidly delivers large-scale, reliable power to utility and industrial customers around the globe, when and where it is needed. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.aprenergy.com. ESI AFRICA ISSUE 1 2014