Douala —
- Clarke Energy to Provide 1.4-Megawatt JenbacherJ420 Gas Engine to SCTB Flour Mills
- SCTB to Save More than $200,000 in Annual Fuel Costs by Switching to GE's Natural Gas Unit
- GE's Jenbacher Technology Addresses Mill's Need for More Reliable, Cost-Effective on-Site Power
- Project Marks Clarke Energy's First Order as GE's New Jenbacher Gas Engine Distributor in Cameroon
GE's Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) today announced that U.K.-based Clarke Energy, GE's new authorized distributor of Jenbacher gas engines in Cameroon, is supplying a 1.4-megawatt (MW) J420 Jenbacher gas engine to Flour Mill SCTB s.a. (Societe Camerounaise de Transformation du Blé S.A.) to provide more reliable, cost-effective, on-site power for the company's mills in the city of Douala. The project marks the first Jenbacher gas engine order in Cameroon for Clarke Energy.
The Jenbacher unit will permanently replace existing rented gas generators at the site, giving SCTB a more cost-effective, permanent, on-site power solution that will enable the company to save more than $200,000 annually in fuel costs. The system is scheduled to enter commercial service in the second quarter of 2016.
"Changing from a rental power plant to a permanent installation provided by Clarke Energy and using GE's Jenbacher gas engine technology will enable us to save in excess of $200,000 per year in fuel costs," said Fofou Gregoire, project manager of SCTB. "Installing a permanent on-site power solution also will help us improve our mill's availability so we can meet our production targets."
Clarke Energy worked with SCTB to develop a technical solution to deliver a permanent supply of reliable electricity from pipeline-sourced natural gas. The projected savings in fuel costs was a significant driver for the gas engine's installation. The project marks the first Jenbacher engine that Clarke Energy has supplied to SCTB.
"GE's gas engine technology has been proven to be an attractive technical and commercial solution for Cameroon. This installation will be our first in Cameroon and will immediately start to deliver cost savings and reliable energy to our customer SCTB," said Ali Hjaiej, business development director— Africa, Clarke Energy.
By increasing its gas-to-power efficiency rate and reducing diesel fuel consumption, SCTB also will be able to reduce carbon emissions at its mills.
"We are pleased to provide our first Jenbacher gas engine in Cameroon as part of our new distributor agreement with Clarke Energy. The J420 gas engine will enable SCTB to save on fuel while accessing reliable power for its operations," said Oluwatoyin Abegunde, sub-Saharan region leader for GE's Distributed Power business. "The project illustrates how GE's technology is able to support Cameroon's needs for a more sustainable supply of electricity."
SCTB has been a key player in Cameroon's food industry since 1996 and is a leading producer and exporter of flour. The company's flour mill is located at the Bassa Industrial Zone in the city of Douala, the major industrial hub of the country.
With Cameroon's unstable grid causing local power outages, industrial operators have experienced unplanned downtime for their factories, resulting in losses from reduced production levels. As a result, a number of factory owners first turned to diesel generators to produce on-site power. SCTB decided to switch from diesel engines to gas-fired reciprocating engines to prove the feasibility of natural gas-fueled generation in Cameroon. Based on the rental units' success, SCTB chose to install a new permanent Jenbacher gas engine solution to provide a reliable supply of electricity supply to the flour mills.
About Clarke Energy
Clarke Energy is a leader in the engineering design, installation and long-term maintenance of gas engine-based power plants. The company is the authorised distributor and service provider for GE's Jenbacher gas engines in 17 countries. Clarke Energy employs over 1,000 staff and has over 4,400 MW of Jenbacher generation equipment installed in its operational areas.
Follow Clarke Energy on Twitter @ClarkeEnergy and on LinkedIn or Facebook.
About GE's Distributed Power Business
GE's Distributed Power business is a leading provider of engines, power equipment and services focused on power generation and gas compression at or near the point of use. Distributed Power offers a diverse product portfolio that includes highly efficient, fuel-flexible, industrial gas engines generating 200 kW to 10 MW each of power for numerous industries globally. In addition, the business provides life cycle support for more than 36,000 gas engines worldwide to help you meet your business challenges and success metrics – anywhere and anytime. Backed by our authorized service providers in more than 170 countries, GE's global service network connects with you locally for rapid response to your service needs. GE's Distributed Power business is headquartered in Jenbach, Austria.
About GE Power
GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world's largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable. For more information, visit the company's website at www.gepower.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
For more information, contact:
Susanne Reichelt
GE's Distributed Power
+43 664 80833 2382
Alex Marshall
Group Marketing Manager, Clarke Energy
+44 7917 066 242
