Power generation packaging specialist Centrax has formed a joint venture company with Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard Marketing Services Company (ASRY) to build and equip a multi-application power barge. T he vessel will utilise twin Rolls-Royce Trent 60 aero-derivative gas turbine powered generator sets. Th new company's aim is to become a leading player in the production of barge mounted power stations.
ASRY will build a floating self-contained Power Barge that can be positioned in ports, on rivers or in sheltered coastal locations. The two Trent 60 generator sets will produce a total of 125MWe.
The barge is designed to meet a broad range of power-generation requirements and provides the flexibility to be positioned rapidly. Commercial applications include the provision of temporary power supplies during the construction phase of new land-based coastal power stations, enabling plant operators to sell power well in advance of the new plant’s commissioning date. The barge can also ensure continuity of power supplies during major outages at existing power plants near estuaries, rivers or coastal locations, or for emergency power in times of need – humanitarian relief initiatives around the world could also benefit enormously.
The high power density and small footprint of the twin Trent 60 packages enable the barge to be transported readily from the ASRY yard and positioned rapidly, making minimal demands on local resources. Two or more units can be linked together and equipped with a tanker barge or barges configured for the storage of liquid or LNG fuels. The units can either be connected to the local grid or operated as stand-alone island plants, ready to run at full load in 10 minutes from cold start.
The power barge, designated TPB125, is 82m long, 28m wide and has a draft of 4.5m. It is designed with high cyclic life to meet daily peaking requirements. The vessel has double-skin fuel and oil tanks, low emissions and low noise (80dBA at one metre) to meet the most rigorous environmental standards.
Centrax says that the first two barges are currently under construction and that the joint venture has received enquiries from potential customers for a total of ten units.
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