Power Balancing contract with Finning

The deal covers two G3516H and 13 CG170-20 gas-powered generators, which will be installed at five sites across the UK over the next three years and produce a combined 30 MW of power. The first machines will be delivered to a site in Nottingham, and were scheduled to start supplying the UK grid in January 2016.

PBS will primarily use the generators to meet contracts it signed under the UK government's Capacity Mechanism, a market-wide initiative that offers financial incentives for companies willing to provide reliable capacity to the grid to meet peak shortfalls as ageing coal-fired and nuclear power plants are taken offline. As well as purchasing the gensets, PBS has signed a 15-year service agreement with Finning.

The G3516H genset is said to feature the lowest total life cycle cost in its class, thanks to a long stroke design, high compression- ratio pistons, a high efficiency turbo and a high efficiency generator design. Maintenance costs are also reduced by the G3516H's optimised piston, ring and liner designs, which help to minimise oil consumption.

The CG170-20, says Finning, is designed for maximum efficiency in extended-duty generation and cogeneration applications, while the proprietary exhaust system optimises the gas routing with fewer parts, boosting the efficiency of the turbocharger and reducing maintenance costs.

(Originally published in MPS February 2016)