By Greentech Lead America: GE will install six of its
Jenbacher specialty gas engines at the Loma Los Colorados Landfill in Chile as
part of a major expansion of the site’s existing landfill-gas-to-energy (LFGTE)
plant. The landfill receives about 60 percent of solid waste from Santiago and
is the country’s largest municipal solid waste operation .
The 8.4-megawatt (MW) plant expansion is known as Lomas Los
Colorados II. GE will install six of its 1.4-MW ecomagination-qualified J420
Jenbacher units adjacent to seven GE Jenbacher gas engines already at the site.
GE expects the new Jenbacher units to enter commercial service between 2012 and
2014, in line with landfill gas production.
Ecomagination is GE’s commitment to invest in a future
that creates innovative solutions to global environmental challenges. GE’s
Jenbacher landfill gas engines are designed to provide the fuel flexibility
needed to accommodate the use of alternative fuels such as landfill gas while
offering high levels of electrical efficiency.
The total 13 landfill gas-fueled engines will generate a
total of 18-MW of renewable power, enough to support the needs of about 75,000
homes in Chile.
KDM Energia owns the landfill and the power plant and
selected GE’s Jenbacher gas engines technology because of the J420 engine’s
performance on other LFGTE projects worldwide.
“We are very excited to build on the success we have had
with our Loma Los Colorados landfill gas-to-energy project, which is serving as
an important renewable energy model for the region as Chile looks to diversify
its energy mix,” said Sergio Durandeau, general manager of KDM Energía, which
owns the landfill and the power plant.
In addition to the Jenbacher gas engines, GE also provided a
master engine control system to help the operator achieve maximum availability
and efficiency from the generating equipment.
“As Chile and more countries around the world look to
recycle their own existing waste streams into new sources of renewable energy,
GE’s proven Jenbacher and Waukesha distributed power solutions are helping
customers meet their environmental and economic priorities by providing
operational and fuel flexibility on power generation projects,” said Rafael
Santana, CEO of Gas Engines, GE Energy.
GTSA, GE’s authorized distributor and service provider for
Jenbacher gas engines in Chile, provided design and engineering support for the
initial phase of this project and installed the Jenbacher gas engines.
GTSA also will own the units during the next 10 years and is
renting them to the end user who has a purchase option available during the
contract period. GTSA will operate the units on behalf of KDM Energía
under this 10-year agreement also covering maintenance services.
GE Gas Engine Technology to Power China’s Largest Landfill Gas
Project
Recently, GE announced that its Jenbacher gas engines will
drive landfill gas (LFG) power generation project of Laogang Renewable Energy.
The project will save emissions by over 340,000 tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent per year.
editor@greentechlead.com