Construction Middle East: Arabian Civil Engineers by GineersNow GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 014, Sau | Page 33

They can be completed and
powered on in a matter of days,
and can be rapidly demobilized
once the area of service is already
connected to the permanent
centralized power plant. They do
not require a huge upfront
investment, and as such, do not
have long payback periods.
Instead, governments or power
utility providers can pay for the
rented electricity in regular
intervals over a contracted term.
An example is Altaaqa Global’s
natural gas temporary power
plants in Douala, Cameroon, which
were installed and powered on in
as little as 21 days from the time
the equipment arrived at the
intended sites. The power plants,
because they comprised modular
and containerized power
equipment, were easily delivered
from the point of origin in the
Middle East, to the port in Douala,
to the power plant sites, and were
successfully installed despite
space limitation.
The power plants have been
consistently producing a
combined 50 MW since they were
turned on, easing the pressure on
the main grid and reducing
electricity demand at peak times.
They have been instrumental in
lessening the power supply
deficiency and reducing the
instances of load shedding in
Douala.
Scalability
Temporary power plants, as a
decentralized power generation
system, are highly scalable in that
their output can be increased or
decreased depending on the
prevailing requirement. The power
provider can simply add or
subtract generators to or from the
power plants to customize their
output. The result is that the rental
power plants generate the exact
amount of electricity as
demanded, so the power plants
do not inefficiently run on
part-load, and that the
governments or the power utility
providers do not pay for
un-utilized capacity.
Diversity
As above, there are several
technologies that can be
implemented as decentralized
power generations systems. The
good news is these technologies
may complement each other to
ensure their efficiency and
reliability. For example, temporary
diesel or gas power plants can
support solar or wind energy
sources at times when sunshine or
wind is insufficient to produce the
desired amount of electricity.
Rental power plants can also take
up the electricity load during
low-rain or dry seasons, when the
hydropower systems have
limitations in producing electricity.
Efficiency and Reliability
The US Energy Information
Administration reports that up to
7% of the electricity generated by
central power plants is lost in
transmission and distribution.
Turning to decentralized power
generation technologies, like
temporary power plants, can
reduce the transmission and
distribution losses because they
are installed nearer to the
consumers.
Moreover, rental power plants are
regularly serviced and maintained
by trained and qualified service
engineers and technicians, and
monitored and evaluated by
competent certification bodies so
their optimal energy performance
and reliability is guaranteed.
For instance, Altaaqa Global’s 50
MW natural gas power plants in
Cameroon have recently been
awarded an ISO 50001:2011
certification for energy
performance, making Altaaqa
Global the first and only rental
power company to have received
the recognition. The plaudit was a
testament to the power plants’
energy efficiency,
cost-effectiveness and
environmental stewardship.
In addition to the above,
decentralized power generation
technologies can support various
environmental initiatives in vigor in
several Sub-Saharan African
countries due to their
environmental conscious
operations. As a case-in point,
temporary power plants running
on natural gas comply with
worldwide emission standards,
while solar or wind power sources
are completely renewable and
contribute in conserving natural
energy resources.
For example, Altaaqa Global’s
natural gas temporary power
plants in Cameroon was
handpicked by Eneo to support its
existing power facilities, owing to
their reliability, energy efficiency
and environmental consciousness,
which perfectly fits Cameroon’s
sustainable energy initiatives.
Electricity and Africa’s
Development Agenda As an
emerging region, Sub-Saharan
Africa needs electricity to support
its economic priorities and other
development areas. At present,
even as the economic focus of
governments in Sub-Saharan
Africa are in areas directly related
to basic issues of livelihood
(employment, healthcare, water
supply and agriculture), they are
gradually working on various
initiatives to ensure the region’s
energy future. While their
long-terms plans are coming to
fruition, decentralized electricity
technologies, like rental power
plants, can supplement existing
centralized power facilities to
provide the electricity when and
where needed.