Stabilizing The Grid

Chung Hsin Electric & Machinery Manufacturing Corp. has ordered two MAN 51/60 generator sets with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and auxiliary equipment to add extra capacity to a power plant in Taiwan, Republic of China.

The Ta-Shan Power Plant is located on the western side of Kinmen Island and provides baseload to the island’s grid. Operated by the Taiwan Power Company (TPC), the engines will add 24.5 MW to the plant’s current capacity of 64 MW. MAN Diesel & Turbo is also responsible for engineering and commissioning of the engines, which are scheduled for delivery in 2018.

“A study by TPC shows, that the island’s peak load may exceed the current reliable power supply by 2019,” said Wilson Phua, regional sales manager Power Plant for the Asia-Pacific region at MAN Diesel & Turbo Singapore. “This project will close that gap and thus secure a reliable power supply for Kinmen, in line with the government’s policy of caring for the residents and promoting the economic prosperity of the outlying islands.”

To meet the island’s stringent emission regulations, TPC will operate the engines on ultra-low sulfur fuel with low ash content, limiting sulfur oxide and particulate matters emissions. Additionally, two SCR units will be installed to provide after-treatment for the engines’ exhaust gases and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. TPC already operates a total of 78 MAN engines in several power plants, including the 15 MW ZuShan plant, erected in Matsu Island in 2007.

Kinmen Island is approximately 300 km across the Taiwan Strait from Kaohsiung Port on the main island of Taiwan.

“The strong winds in the Taiwan Straits limit the window for the delivery of heavy equipment to a three months period between June and August, which obviously must not be missed,” said Shou-Yung Chao, CHEM’s power project division director, commenting on the challenging timeline for this project. “Also the unloading of the equipment has to happen via beach landing, which is hard to schedule as it largely depends on the weather conditions. But since MAN is an experienced company in the field of island power plants as is CHEM in the field of EPC, we are used to deal with challenges like this.”