Clarke Commissions Second Jenbacher Engine At Vitalait

Clarke Energy and INNIO Jenbacher have announced the installation and commissioning of a second plant at the La Centrale Laitière de Mahdia – Vitalait power plant in Mahdia, Tunisia. The installation of another INNIO Jenbacher gas engine has now increased the total electrical power at Vitalait’s facility to 4 MWe.

Having started operations in December 1998, Vitalait currently maintains production capacity of 215 million L of milk per year at its Mahdia plant. It produces a diverse range of products, including cheese and yogurt.

Clarke Energy, utilizing INNIO gas engine technology, operates as a partner to Vitalait for its energy efficiency projects. In 2013, Clarke Energy installed the first INNIO Jenbacher J612 gas engine at the Vitalait plant that provides an electric power output of 2 MWe. The facility currently produces 1100 KWth of hot water and 800 KWth of steam. In 2018, the Clarke Energy Tunisia maintenance team  successfully carried out the preventive semi-overhaul of the engine at 30,000 operating hours.

Seven years after the installation of the first INNIO Jenbacher gas engine, and in light of the plant’s growing energy demand, Vitalait decided to boost its electric and thermal self-production by installing an additional INNIO Jenbacher J612 gas engine.

The cogeneration plant currently consists of two INNIO Jenbacher J612 gas engines with a total output of 4 MWe. This cogeneration plant contributes to the reduction of the energy costs of Vitalait with a monthly gain of more than 166,000TND and, also, a reduction of carbon emissions of more than 6000 tonnes per year.

“Clarke Energy and INNIO Jenbacher are our strategic affiliates for cogeneration,” said Mr. Hechmi Ali, deputy general manager of Vitalait. “The signing of the second agreement testifies to our satisfaction with the quality of the product and the services provided as part of the first investment. We look forward to our collaboration spanning the next 15 years. Given our extraordinary growth, we will look to develop further.”