ESBI provides GT Biofuel Services in Norway

ESBI engineering & Facility Management (ESBIe&fm), together with its local Norwegian partner Norconsult, has recently been awarded a contract by Statnett - the Norwegian transmission system operator - to provide consultancy services for investigating the use of biofuels in gas turbines for reserve power solutions. Statnett have recently acquired a number of gas turbines from Pratt & Whitney Power Systems (PWPS) which they require for reserve power.

These units are initially intended to be gas fired and consist of seven MobilePac (22.5 MW) units to be installed at Tjeldbergodden and three SwiftPac (60MW) units to be installed at Nyhamna.

ESBIe&fm and Norconsult are working with a Scandinavian consultancy company KanEnergi to investigate the various types of biofuels available on the current markets, to investigate the existing and possible future standards relating to biofuels, to consider the modifications and additional equipment required for burning biofuels and to determine the effects of burning biofuels in gas turbines, in particular in relation to the PWPS machines.

The services will also extend to reviewing other potential reserve power solutions including gas engines and CHP plants. The purpose of this project is to provide Statnett with information for future reserve power projects involving biofuels. As Norway currently generates approximately 98% of its power from hydro power the environmental consequences of installing gasfired or liquid-fuel-fired gas turbines needs to be examined in great detail. In an effort to reduce green house gas emissions Statnett have commissioned this project to gain a greater understanding of the options available to them for using biofuels in reserve power applications. The project is split into a number of work packages with a number of reports and presentations on the various packages due throughout 2007.