GE Working With Isopentane In Ghana

GE Power and Marinus Energy said its pilot project to capture Isopentane gas and use it as a fuel source for generating electricity will be a first for sub-Saharan Africa.

The Atuabo Waste to Power Independent Power Project (Atuabo) will be the first TM2500 power plant in Sub-Saharan Africa to use Isopentane gas as a fuel source and will run on GE’s latest TM2500 gas turbines. This Isopentane gas would otherwise have been flared.

“Not only is the Atuabo waste to power plant enabling our company to lead in innovative energy solutions in Ghana, but by using a fuel source which would otherwise have been flared as waste, we are further reducing emissions and costs,” said Fred Asamany, strategic advisor of Marinus Energy. “This is good for our business, the climate and eliminates the potential environmental hazards facing the local community. GE is offering an innovative solution which gives us the confidence to move from pilot to commercial operations.”

In the first phase, Atuabo will convert the Isopentane fuel into up to 25 MW of power, generating enough electricity to supply power for more than 100 000 Ghanaian households. As additional gas is brought onshore, the plant is expected to add on additional gas generating units up to a capacity of 100 MW. Additional Isopentane fuel will eventually be stripped off an offshore gas supply and processed at Atuabo by the Ghana National Gas Company. The gas turbine will start on lean gas and transfer to the Isopentane mix over time, and the power plant is intended to operate at base load throughout its life.

“The TM2500 unit will provide unrivaled speed to deployment and flexibility to support the immediate needs of our customer, Marinus Energy, and then seamlessly transition to deliver capacity over the long term as they expand their operations,” said Leslie Nelson, CEO of GE’s Gas Power Systems in sub-Saharan Africa. “The Atuabo project will add yet another TM2500 gas turbine to the existing fleet of ten units in the country earlier deployed in 2016.”

The TM2500—a trailer-mounted gas turbine generator and containerized balance of plant—can be relocated to other power plants during operation, and maintenance outages, or to remote areas.

It is designed for providing a baseload bridge to permanent power installations or for generating backup power in the wake of natural disasters, plant shutdowns or grid instability. Complete solutions include trailer-mounted gas turbine generator set and containerized balance of plant—can put power on the grid within 30 days of the contract signature; this fast power provides up to two times the power density (MW/ft2) of other gas turbine trailer-mounted offerings, GE said. The TM2500 can also achieve full power approximately within 10 minutes making it ideal for providing a base-load bridge to permanent power installations or generating backup power for factories and industries.
There are more than 200 units deployed and over 5 million operating hours of experience, GE said.