The general Electric (GE)’s distributed power business arm has said the United Kingdom (UK)-based power provider, Clarke Energy, is supplying its new diesel engines to Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc for the generation of 12.5 megawatts, enough for 33,000 homes.
The deal will solve the energy needs of the company, reduce pressure on supply from the national grid and encourage growth in the sector.
This deal, according to the company, was the first sale of GE’s new 616 diesel engine globally. The engine delivers higher fuel efficiency and extended service intervals than many other engines. Clarke Energy said this at the East African Power Industry Convention in Nairobi, Kenya.
“As Nigeria continues to grow its industrial might in the global economy, we have opted to invest in GE’s new 616 diesel engines to deliver higher fuel efficiency at our sites in Lagos and Kano. We have been working with Clarke Energy since 2005, and we are confident in its ability to support us in the engineering installation and maintenance of the units,” said Flour Mills’ Chief Executive Officer, Paul Gbededo,
The company’s project will include five of GE’s 616 units, delivering up to 12.5 megawatts (MW) of power. Two of the units will be used at the Kano facility in northern Nigeria, where natural gas access is limited and where older, less-efficient diesel units have been used in order to maintain power for production. The new GE engines will deliver 5 MW of baseload electrical power, with an expected capital payback in less than 12 months on diesel fuel cost savings alone.
The other three GE engines will be at Flour Mills’ facility in Apapa, where Clarke Energy opened its first sub-Saharan Africa site about a decade ago. This site features 11 GE’s J620 gas engines, and the diesel units will provide back-up capacity during the maintenance of its equipment or in the event of supply failure.
“The sale of the engines to our valued long-term customer Flour Mills of Nigeria demonstrates the significant benefits of reduced fuel consumption and extended maintenance intervals from GE’s new 616 diesel platform,” said Alan Fletcher, main board director, Clarke Energy.
Clarke Energy, he said, has had a long history in sub-Saharan Africa. Its first office was opened in 2005 in Apapa, Lagos, and over 250 MW of gas-fueled power plants have since been installed to meet expansion of Nigeria’s domestic gas supplies. Since inception, Clarke Energy’s Nigerian operations have expanded and moved to Ikeja GRA, opening a new branch office in Port Harcourt in 2012.
GE’s 616 diesel engine is based upon the highly successful Jenbacher Type 6 reciprocating engine and GE Transportation’s P616 locomotive diesel engine. The engine’s design is characterised by its world-class efficiency and extended maintenance intervals, which result in lower fuel consumption and higher levels of availability.
“Our new 616 diesel engine is the first high-speed model for power generation, allowing us to serve customers with a wider reciprocating engine portfolio. We are honoured by the trust Flour Mills of Nigeria has extended to Clarke Energy and GE as collaborators in providing power generation for their growth. Flour Mills will benefit from the 616, which couples medium-speed engine fuel economy with the lower costs of high-speed engines and helps customers improve their total life cycle costs,” said Cory Nelson, general manager, diesel engines of GE’s Distributed Power business.
GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business is a leading provider of power equipment, engines and services, focused on power generation at or near the point of use. Distributed Power’s product portfolio includes GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines and reciprocating engines, which generate 100 kilowatts to 100 MW of power for numerous industries globally.
