CONTENTS

CARILEC
Demonstrating a Proactive Approach To Sustainable Engery Solutions
2 Cost Effective, Fast Tracked
Power Plant Relocation
An underlying tenet of modern Governments
throughout the world is that carbon-based
electric power generation must undergo 8 Developments & Future
a significant transition and integrate more
Expansions
sustainable solutions. Indeed, such belief has
been demonstrated by major changes in
the global electric energy landscape and
has influenced a drive towards establishing 18 Fuel Price Hedging
the “correct” institutional and governance The Lucilec Experience
structures to facilitate the realization of the
transition throughout the industry.
This sort of transformation however, has
introduced the new trilemma for electric
utilities: balancing cost, climate change and reliable electric energy supply.
30 Lineworker Training For
Consequently, unprecedented business, regulatory and operational Live-Line Work
challenges will be faced by the Caribbean electric power utilities, the
complexity of which will be determined by the dynamics of the existing
political, economic, and technological environment. In addition to this,
the electric utilities that are intent on pursuing energy diversification are 38 Recovered Energy Generation
confronted with a bewildering array of technologies while not all of those
technologies are particularly suitable to the Caribbean environment. From Internal Combuston
Engines Exhaust
In this context, CARILEC has exhibited a very proactive approach towards
collaboration among the energy stakeholders in the region and have
established meaningful partnerships in fostering sustainable energy in the
power utility industry. The Regional Association has voluntarily documented
and articulated its position regarding regulations and renewables and 46 The Future Of
has underscored the importance of incorporating its submissions in the
development of appropriate regional energy and regulatory policies and
Engine Control Is Here Today
associated regimes. This has been complemented with capacity building
efforts at the Secretariat level and the pursuit of an appropriate effective
utility business model to meet the challenges and aid the implementation CARILEC Industry Journal
of sustainable solutions in the electric power utilities. Is published in January and July annually
by Advertising & Marketing Services Ltd for
In this transitional phase, it will be advantageous for our governments to
CARILEC the Caribbean Electric Utility Services
formulate polices that will address the geopolitical barriers to regional
Corporation.
and sub-regional energy integration so as to realize economies of scale
and optimize the use of our indigenous renewable energy resources. It is
Editorial & Distribution: CARILEC
imperative for the decision-makers of the electric utility industry to have a
P.O.Box CP5907, Desir Avenue, San Souci,
thorough understanding of the current scenario and visualize the future
Castries, St Lucia, W.I.
energy framework so that they can devise innovative strategies & policies
Tel: 758 452 0140/41
and utilise sound judgement in facilitating the transition of their utilities.
Fax: 758 452 0142 / 458 0702
It is important to note that a number of our progressive utilities are Website: www.carilec.org
recognizing that they have a unique opportunity to fashion a new path
in the context of sustainable energy. They have begun to define their Editor: Andrew Thorington
commitment to environmental stewardship and corporate responsibility by Project Manager, CARILEC
adopting appropriate measures to diversify their energy mix and advance athorington@carilec.org
the deployment of renewable energy technologies. This can only redound
to the benefit of all stakeholders. Advertising Sales,Design & Production
Advertising & Marketing Services Ltd
Andrew Thorington, Editor P.O. Box 2003, Gros Islet, St Lucia, W.I.
Project Manager, CARILEC Tel: 758 453 1149
Fax: 758 453 1290
Email: mail@amsstlucia.com
 Recognition for the emerging requirement for quick start peaking Units on the electrical system was identified
by AES. Subsequent feasibility studies, undertaken in early 2007 by AES, confirmed that such a decision would
be economically viable. The studies confirmed that Kilroot Power Station would be a suitable site due to its
spare flue capacity, available electrical connection, access to fuel storage and in-house OCGT operating
experience.

By late 2007, the decision was finally taken by AES’s management to relocate two of the three existing Units
with a target of 31 March 2009 set as the commissioning date.

Brief Description of the Frame 6 Units at Itabo, Dominican Republic

The existing three OCGT Units, as shown in Figure 1, are the Frame 6B Gas Turbine Generators (Model PG 6551-B)
with a site rated electrical output of 34 MW and were supplied and installed by GEC Alstom.

The Units were originally commissioned in 1997 with the following design features:

Figure 1 The three off Units at Itabo in the Dominican Republic 1. Modular units suitable for outdoor location;
2. Operated as peak lopping units;
3. Fired on distillate fuel oil;
Figure 1 The three off Units at Itabo in the Dominican Republic
4. Operated at 60Hz system frequency;

Cost Effective 5. Complete with a 9 metre high exhaust stack.

Fast Tracked
Mott MacDonald’s Involvement
In mid December 2007, AES engaged Mott MacDonald Ireland Limited (MMI), who are based in Dublin and
are part of the worldwide Mott MacDonald Group, as the design engineer for this challenging project. Shortly

Power Plant Relocation afterwards, MMI undertook an extensive condition survey of the Units in the Dominican Republic and produced
a specification outlining the technical requirements for rehabilitating and refurbishing the units to operate at
Kilroot which covered;
Abstract:
1. Repair of the minor corrosion.
This case study demonstrates how a multi-contract procurement strategy enabled refurbishment and
relocation of a Caribbean based power plant to produce a cost effective quality installation. It describes how 2. The nominal electrical output capacity of each unit increased from 34MW to 42MW as a result of
as designer, Mott MacDonald – the international engineering consultancy firm with offices in over 120 countries the lower site ambient conditions expected at Kilroot. Studies carried out by AES and MMI concluded
and Associate Member of CARILEC – partnered with AES - the +25,000 strong world leaders in energy, as project that the rating of the unit mechanical and electrical (packaged mounted) equipment was capable
manager, to derive maximum economic benefit by relocating 2 x Frame 6 Gas Turbines from the Dominican of operation at Kilroot without the need for any up-rating.
Republic to the Kilroot site in Northern Ireland. A description of the extensive condition survey undertaken on
the plant is given along with the specification of the requirements for rehabilitating and refurbishing the units, 3. Modifying the combustion system to allow for the injection of demineralised water as a primary
the requirements for converting the frequency of the units from 60 to 50 Hz operation and the requirements for abatement technique for NOx control.
integration of the plant, controls and auxiliaries into the operational plant at Kilroot.
4. Replacing the existing gearbox to allow for operation at 50Hz.
Acknowledgement: This article is based on the article published in Modern Power Systems in January 2010
entitled: “How AES Kilroot Power Ltd contributed to meeting the challenge for flexible power generation on
Northern Ireland’s electrical system” by Neil McIlwaine (AES Kilroot Power Ltd.), Brian Kinsella (Mott MacDonald)
and Stephen O’Gorman, (Mott MacDonald).
Major Technical Considerations that arose at Kilroot Power Station
Background
Environmental studies commissioned by AES had identified the need for the relocated Units to exhaust through
In 2007, AES Kilroot Power Limited (AES), the operator of a 538MW dual coal/oil fired power plant saw the two spare ducts in the existing 100m high four-flue stack. This then determined that the Units be located to the
opportunity to install Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) generators at their existing facility at Kilroot, situated close position in front of the storage facility as shown in Figure 2 below.
to Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. As part of the +25,000 strong worldwide AES Group, AES saw the potential
with their sister plant at Itabo to relocate two under-utilised Frame 6 OCGTs from the Dominican Republic (DR)
to Kilroot. These Units were originally installed in 1997 but had little accumulated operating hours.

2| INDUSTRY JOURNAL
INDUSTRY JOURNAL |3
 3. The fuel oil and demineralised water pipework was run on an existing pipe rack which required
careful co-ordination with the existing services.

Electrical Design
The high voltage element of the installation consisted of a 275/11.5/11.5 kV transformer and switchyard to
facilitate the connection to the NIE owned 275kV substation.

The major technical challenges encountered were;

Figure 2 - Proposed location of the two relocated units at Kilroot
The selection of this area presented some technical challenges including;
i) identifying, diverting and relocating existing buried services
ii) routing of the exhaust ducts from the relocated OCGTs and connecting to the flanges of the existing Transport to Kilroot
spare flues.
iii) demolition of some old structures, including removal of a disused buried fuel oil tank.
iv) running a 275kV underground cable from the new HV step-up transformer to the existing NIE
(Northern Ireland Electricity) 275kV substation. This cable route crossed existing services and through heavy load moving trailers and associated traction units, refer to Figure 3;
the 275kV NIE switchgear building.
1. The specification for a three winding 275/11.5/11.5kV step-up transformer with dual 11 kV windings for
the connection of both OCGTs arising from (i) space constraints and (ii) economic reasons.
2. The optimal transformer impedances were determined to limit the short circuit fault contribution on
the new 11.5kV switchgear.
3. The optimal transformer tap changer positions allowed the full power factor transformer range over
the entire voltage range to be achieved.
4. The final selection of the 275kV cable route minimised the diversion of existing external services and
accounted for the presence of asbestos, access ways and energised 275kV equipment within the
275kV NIE substation. This involved careful planning and coordination between many parties.
5. The design of a new LV switchboard fed from a new 50Hz unit auxiliary transformer to include
frequency inverters enabled the existing OCGT motors, fans, distribution boards and control panels to
remain operational at 60Hz.
6. The design allowed for intricate routing of four cores per phase of large diameter MV cabling within a
constrained space and through the oil tight transformer bund.
7. The transformer bund and fire wall was required to satisfy the requirements of NFPA 850 and to
comply with the terms of AES’s insurance requirements for a deluge system.
8. The design of the protection philosophy allowed incorporation of all of the project electrical
equipment (generators, three-winding transformer, 275kV cable and 275kV busbar) with the limited
number of existing protection instrumentation (CTs and VTs) in both the NIE substation and the OCGTs.
The equipment was dismantled in the Dominican Republic and shipped to Belfast. Being a modular design
meant that the various blocks could be transported by road from Belfast to Carrickfergus using specialised

Procurement
From the outset and due principally to the tight time constraint for completion AES, as the overall project
manager, decided to approach the procurement on a multiple contract basis with the main contracts being;

1. Relocation, refurbishment, transportation, erection, testing and commissioning of the Units;

2. Construction of the civil works;
3. Supply and installation of the 275/11.5/11.5 kV step-up transformer;
4. Supply and installation of the 275 kV power cable;
5. Supply and installation of the mechanical systems;
6. Supply and installation of the electrical systems;
7. Modification of the existing 275 kV switchgear within the NIE. substation.

Mechanical Design
Some of the technical issues that arose were;

1. Although drawings of the existing stack existed it was, nonetheless, decided that a detailed survey
of the existing flanges of the spare flues be carried out to ensure that the new exhaust duct work
connected correctly.
2. As a cost saving measure, the Itabo fuel oil transfer pumps were relocated to Kilroot and so studies
were necessary to ensure that they were suitable for the new installation to accommodate the
electrical up-rating noted above.

Figure 3 – One of the two OCGT Units arriving at Kilroot.

4| INDUSTRY JOURNAL
INDUSTRY JOURNAL |5
Civil Design and Construction
The outcome of the geotechnical investigation, completed in April 2008, identified that the soil was of low
bearing capacity and therefore, in order to provide the required support and to achieve the minimum
deflections required by the design criteria, piling was adopted to support both the turbine generators and
step-up transformer foundation block.

Mott MacDonald had full responsibility for all the civil and structural design work. This included for the use of
specialist dynamic design involving finite element techniques for the turbine/generator blocks. The ambitious
timeline proved to be a challenge and prolonged curing periods of the foundation proved to be a major
player in the critical path of the project timeline.

One particular problem arose in relation to the design of the foundations for the new exhaust duct, particularly
where they were located in close proximity to the existing 100 metre high stack (piled) foundation and the
recently completed new turbine generator foundation blocks. Detailed analysis completed by Mott MacDonald
concluded that adopting traditional foundations would result in substantial and deep excavations which
would not be practical within the confines of a small site and would also not meet the demands of working to Figure 4 – Overhead view of the final installation at Kilroot.
a tight programme. It was, therefore, decided to install mini-piles to support the exhaust duct foundations and
this solution also ensured that the foundations would be independent and so no loadings would be transferred
from the new exhaust duct foundations to either the existing stack or the new generating block foundations. Mr. Brian Kinsella, MSc, Dip. Eng., C.Eng., MIEI, MIMechE, MNYAcadSc. is an Associate with Mott
MacDonald Ireland Limited with over 30 years experience in the electrical power generation and
Commissioning process industries. He has acted as project manager on numerous power generation projects
plants both in Ireland and abroad including the above project for AES.
The machines were ready for no load testing at the beginning of March 2009. With mechanical tests complete,
the machines were synchronised to the grid during April 2009. Both machines had to undergo a rigorous set
of tests to prove their performance capability for operation in compliance with NIE Grid Code characteristics. Mr. Stephen O’Gorman, BE. (Mech), MIEI, is a Project Engineer with Mott MacDonald Ireland
Limited and has several years experience in the power generation industry on projects in Ireland,
Programme Bermuda and Pakistan. Experience includes design, procurement, project management and
commissioning with detail design of mechanical BOP for the Kilroot project.
All aspects of programme co-ordination, monitoring, overview were successfully handled by a construction
team made up from the existing engineering staff at AES Kilroot. The units were finally commissioned and
operating in the market in April 2009.

Health and Safety

Near miss and incident reporting was monitored throughout the project with a high emphasis being placed on
contractor adherence to AES safety guidelines. This was a major challenge considering the tight confines of the
construction area, the large number of contractors at site and the need to maintain an existing power station
in full production. The non occurrence of any major incidents highlights the success of such stringent health and
safety guidelines utilised on this project.

Environmental
Detailed environmental studies were undertaken at the outset of the project particularly in relation to noise and
emissions. No environmental issues arose either during construction or commissioning.

During commissioning emission testing was carried out to ensure the machines complied with the specified
environmental limits.

Overview
The relocated Units were finally commissioned in April 2009 and a photograph of the final installation is included
in Figure 4 below;

The technical challenges incurred during the tight timeframe were significant and were successfully met by AES
Kilroot Power Limited, assisted by Mott MacDonald

The approach to procurement adopted by AES proved to be successful for this particular project, where
it is difficult to identify any shortcomings that arose. In fact, excellent lead times were achieved on major
components, which in turn led to a reduction of previously conceived installation times and, therefore, an
overall cut in the critical path of the programme.

6| INDUSTRY JOURNAL
 Developments & Abstract
The EPAR

highestuse
system (red circle) for Paramaribo and
surroundings. The EPAR system has by far the
nergy in developing of countries
electric has riseninmore than

Future Expansions
consumption power Suriname
fourfold over the
(consumption past GWh/a);
of 1000 three decades and is expected
to continue increasing in the future. Electricity is one of
the
The most
ENIC important ingredients
system (purple circle)forforsocial and economic
New Nickerie in West
development in Suriname. The electric
Suriname, and the surroundings (consumption power growthof 50
rate in Suriname is approximately 10% annually, and is
GWh/a);
Development in the Electrical Power Systems of Suriname higher than in other countries in the region, which have
typical values Power
The District between 3% and(black
Systems 7%. There is a strong
circles) each
relationship
operating asbetween
an isolated economic
power growthsystem and energy
with one or
Author: usage. Therefore
more Diesel electricSets
Generator utility’s
in a dutylocal ispower
to facilitate
house
future growth by together
(total consumption assuring isaaround
reliable 24 and
GWh/a); secured
Samuel Mehairjan MSc supply of electric power. In this context there are
Co-Author: interesting
The Rosebeldevelopments
Gold Mines (green realized andwhere
circle) forthcoming
the Gold in
the electricity sector in Suriname. In this first contribution
Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan BSc Mine operations of IAMGOLD in the Brokopondo district
an
are overview of the
supplied with mainpower
electric characteristics
coming from of the utility
Afobaka
company in Suriname, N.V. E.B.S.,
Hydro power Plant (consumption 170 GWh/a); is given, followed by
developments that took place over the past 7 years
and
The expansion
Brokopondo potentials for thesystem
Distribution future. This(blue technical
circle)
article shares knowledge and experience
feeding some villages in the Brokopondo district for practical
from
and proven solutions
the 13.8/33 kV system in at
thetheelectricity
Afobaka powerHydro sector
Power of
Suriname. The business
Plant of about 7 GWh/a;sectors are given opportunities
to explore the possibilities in the demand and supply
business of the electric
Short History of EBS power industry in Suriname.

Introduction
EBS has its root back 100 years ago, established by the
Dutch. Similar power and gas companies are found in
The N.V. Energie
the Dutch Antilles,Bedrijven
Curacao,Suriname
Aruba, St.(EBS), theBonaire
Martin, Dutch
translation
etc. Suriname for was
Energy Companies
provided with gasof fired
Suriname,
lampsisforsince
the
3first
years
timeainutility member
the year 1909. of
TheCARILEC.
company The
wasEBS is a 100%
named the
government owned company
Nederlansch-Indische responsible(N.I.G.M).
Gas Maatschappij for the delivery
In 1928 of electricitywas
concession andgranted
gas in the coastal areas
to N.I.G.M. for theand for
supply
electricity in some interior areas of Suriname. The districts in Suriname, typically in the coastal
of power in Paramaribo over a period of 50 years and in 1929 they started to build a power station containing areas, are provided
Abstract with
3 dieselelectricity by EBS
generators witha independently
with total capacityoperated
of roughlypower systems.
1.19MW. Furthermore,
In the year 1953 the small power
name systems
was exist in
changed in
the
Overzeese Gas en Energie Maatschappij (OGEM). In 1972 the Government became the biggest stake by
interior of Suriname that is providing electric power to local villages, which are owned and operated the
holder
Energy use in developing countries has risen more than fourfold over the past three decades and is expected Department
and the name forwas
Rural Energy of
changed to the Ministry Bedrijven
NV Energie of NaturalSuriname
Resources (DEV).
(N.V. The operating frequency is 60Hz and
E.B.S).
to continue increasing in the future. Electricity is one of the most important ingredients for social and economic typical voltage ratings are 161kV and 33kV for transmission purpose and 12kV and 6kV for distribution purpose,
development in Suriname. The electric power growth rate in Suriname is approximately 10% annually, and is whereas
Growththe of customers
Electricity areDemand
provided with low voltage levels of 127/220V. A summary of the main power systems
in Suriname
higher than in other countries in the region, which have typical values between 3% and 7%. There is a strong are given below and depicted geographically in figure 1 [1], [2], [5]:
relationship between economic growth and energy usage. Therefore electric utility’s duty is to facilitate In the past 4 years the demand has been growing towards approximately 10% per year. Such growth rate is
future growth by assuring a reliable and secured supply of electric power. In this context there are interesting The EPAR
higher system
than other (red circle) countries,
Caribbean for Paramaribo and surroundings.
which have The
typical growth EPAR
rates system the
between has3%byandfar 7%
the[10].
highest
The
developments realized and forthcoming in the electricity sector in Suriname. In this first contribution an overview consumption of inelectric
high growth rate Surinamepower in
is a result
of the main characteristics of the utility company in Suriname, N.V. E.B.S., is given, followed by developments Suriname (consumption
of the fast economical of 1000 GWh/a);
development
that took place over the past 7 years and expansion potentials for the future. This technical article shares witnessed since 2000. This is due to the
knowledge and experience for practical and proven solutions in the electricity power sector of Suriname. The The ENIC system
development of the(purple circle)
oil industry, for
refinery
business sectors are given opportunities to explore the possibilities in the demand and supply business of the New Nickerie in West Suriname,
process, and growth in the mining sectorand
electric power industry in Suriname. the surroundings
especially the gold (consumption of 50
sector (IAMGOLD).
GWh/a);
Added to this the fast growth of new
Introduction housing schemes, the installation of air-
The District the
conditioners, Power Systems
tourist industry(black
(e.g.
The N.V. Energie Bedrijven Suriname (EBS), the Dutch translation for Energy Companies of Suriname, is since 3 circles)
Berg en each operating
Dal Resort), the as an sector
hotel isolated
in
years a utility member of CARILEC. The EBS is a 100% government owned company responsible for the delivery power system (Royal
development with one or more
Torarica Hotel,Diesel
Best
of electricity and gas in the coastal areas and for electricity in some interior areas of Suriname. The districts Generator
Western Hotel Sets and
in a Marriot
local powerHotel)house
and
in Suriname, typically in the coastal areas, are provided with electricity by EBS with independently operated (total consumption together
other commercial developments is aroundare
power systems. Furthermore, small power systems exist in the interior of Suriname that is providing electric power 24 GWh/a); more power. In figure 2 the
demanding
to local villages, which are owned and operated by the Department for Rural Energy of the Ministry of Natural electricity growth in the EPAR power system for the period 1966-2009 is shown. The fast growth is experienced in
Resources (DEV). The operating frequency is 60Hz and typical voltage ratings are 161kV and 33kV for transmission The Rosebel Gold
the Paramaribo Minesand
(EPAR) (green circle) where
Brokopondo grid,the Gold
while theMine operations
Nickerie of IAMGOLD
grid (ENICK) in the
is growing withBrokopondo
6% per year.district
In the
purpose and 12kV and 6kV for distribution purpose, whereas the customers are provided with low voltage levels are supplied with electric power coming from Afobaka Hydro power Plant (consumption
period of 1982 to 2006 load-shedding became an inevitable practice due to frequent shortage 170 GWh/a);
of supply in the
of 127/220V. A summary of the main power systems are given below and depicted geographically in figure 1 EPAR grid. This created inconvenience for business, industry and households. Since 2006 the load-shedding has
[1], 2 [5]: The Brokopondo
stopped Distribution of
as a consequence system (blue circle)and
the rehabilitation feeding some of
expansion villages in the
the power Brokopondo
plant of EBS, thedistrict from the
commissioning
13.8/33 kV system at the Afobaka Hydro Power Plant of about 7 GWh/a;
of the 161kV transmission infrastructures from Paranam to Paramaribo and the erection of a new IPP owned by
the State Oil Company (Staatsolie). |9
8| INDUSTRY JOURNAL Short History of EBS 9| INDUSTRY JOURNAL
INDUSTRY JOURNAL
Abstract Expansion of 36 kV network, EVP projects
nergy useof
Supply in Electricity in Suriname
developing countries has risen more than fourfold over the past three decades and is expected The driving forces for system modernization in Suriname are load growth, equipments no longer compatible with
to continue increasing in the future. Electricity is one of the most important ingredients for social and economic the changing requirements (short circuit capabilities), ageing of the system and technological developments.
development
The supply of in Suriname.is The
electricity electric by
generated power growthdiesel
premium rate in Suriname
with is approximately
diesel driven generators10% and annually,
nowadays andais In this context EBS has upgraded, expanded, retrofitted and installed a number of 36kV infrastructures. EBS
higher thanpart
substantial in other countries
is fuelled with Heavyin the Fuel region, which However,
Oil (HFO). have typical
the values
majoritybetween 3% and
of electricity 7%. There
in Suriname is a strong
is delivered is making more than 4000 new electric connection to customers each year. To do this EBS is expanding its
relationship
by hydro power betweenfrom theeconomic
Afobaka growth
Hydro and Power energy usage.Since
Plant (HPP). Therefore
1999 theelectric utility’s duty
contribution of hydrois topower
facilitate
to distribution network of 12kV overhead lines and 6 kV underground cables. Subsequently 50% of the substations
future
the growth
grid by assuring
is at least 700 GWh, a reliable
and in extraand secured supply ofthis
raining seasons electric
amount power. In this context
is increased with 15-20%there contractually.
are interesting of the EPAR power system are automated for control and command purpose with SCADA applications. This
developments
Suriname realized and
is a fortunate CARILECforthcoming in the electricity
utility member sectorwith
that is blessed in Suriname.
many rivers In this
and first contribution
plenty of fresh an overview
water. Due substation automation is helping the engineers in the command centre to control, take decisions and operate
of the
to main
this gift characteristics
Suriname is coveringof the utility
more company
than 80 % of in Suriname,
her electricityN.V. E.B.S., iswith
demand given,
this followed
renewable byenergy
developments
source the system much better and faster. Disturbances are detected sooner and where possible switching of circuit
that took place over the past 7 years and expansion potentials for the future. This technical article shares
for years. breakers is operated remotely. This practice is contributing to reduce the duration of failures and improve the
knowledge and experience for practical and proven solutions in the electricity power sector of Suriname. The availability of power.
business
In 2006 there sectorswere are given
some opportunities
extra dry monthsto explore the
in Suriname. possibilities
The Brokopondo in the
hydrodemand
lake couldand therefore
supply business of the
not acquire
electric power
enough water from industrytheinstreams
Suriname. that The EBS Reliability Tool
resulted in serious shortage of power.
Introduction
The government had to lease about EBS has recently developed a reliability program with a consultant to measure its reliability performances. This
30MW of rental power from a foreign new outage reporting program has been delivered in 2009. Starting in 2010 this tool will be used and as a result
The N.V. Energie
contractor Bedrijven
for 3 months Suriname
to cope with EBS will be able to follow the trend analysis of the SAIDI, CAIDI and SAIFI reliability indices. As a consequence
(EBS),inferior
this the Dutch translation
situation. for Energy
It should be EBS can start strategic reliability improvement programs. At the same time EBS will have the possibility to
Companies
noted that since of Suriname,
August 2009 is since
till April3 compare reliability statistics and to benchmark against other utilities in the region.
years aa long
2010 utilitydrymember
seasonofis CARILEC.
afflicting
The EBS is a and
Suriname 100% government
the hydro lake owned is EBS Dispatch Centre
company
slinking responsible
rapidly. SinceforAugust
the delivery 2009
of electricity
extra thermal and gas inof
power theaverage
coastal Table 1: Main characteristics of different power systems in Suriname [5] EBS has performed a technical study with a consultant to design a dispatch centre for the complete EPAR
areas
60MW and for electricity
is generated in the inthermalsome power system, the IPP’s and eventually for other districts. In 2011 this new dispatch centre with the latest
interior station
power areas of ofSuriname.
EBS and backed The districts
up byinSPCS Suriname, typically
(Staatolie Powerin the coastalSuriname).
Company areas, areSPCS provided
is an with electricity
IPP which is in SCADA monitoring and control application of 25 substations and 5 generation station should be into operation.
by EBS with
operation independently
since 2006 and is ownedoperated by power
the Statesystems. Furthermore,
Oil Company small power
of Suriname systems
(Staatsolie). exist in hydro
Although the interior
power of Together with this modernization of the control and monitoring applications additional new networks, radio
Suriname
is cheaperthat andis a providing
renewable electric
source, power to local
it should be villages, which
kept in mind aredry
that owned
yearsand canoperated by the Department
come unexpectedly so the and fiber-optic communication links will be installed. The main goal is to coordinate with all IPP’s and to
for Rural
utility Energy
should alwaysof the
haveMinistry
reserve of Natural
thermalResources (DEV). The
capacity installed to operating
meet the power frequencydemand is 60Hzforand
the typical
less wetvoltage
years. monitor the transmission and distribution for control of frequency, reserve spinning, voltage profiles, power
ratings
In are 161kV
the table and 33kV
1 the installed for transmission
capacity, peak demandpurposeand andconsumption
12kV and 6kV forfor2009distribution
are listed.purpose, whereas the flows and outage handling.
customers are provided with low voltage levels of 127/220V. A summary of the main power systems are given
Developments
below and depicted in geographically
the past 7 years in figure 1 [1], [2], [5]: Improve Dynamic & Voltage stability in the EPAR grid
The EPAR system
Conversion (red to
from Diesel circle)
Heavy forFuel
Paramaribo
Oil (HFO) and surroundings. The EPAR system has by far the highest Because of some recent large disturbances and the
consumption of electric power in Suriname (consumption of 1000 GWh/a); fluctuations in the lake levels at the Afobaka Hydro Power
In 2004, EBS decided to convert several diesel engines to HFO fueled engines. The savings would pay back Plant EBS became more aware of the importance of ensuring
The new
the ENIC conversion
system (purplecostcircle)
in less for
thanNew Nickerie
2 years. in Westwith
Together Suriname, and the fuel
the innovative surroundings (consumption
conversion, of 50
and additional the stability of the system during critical contingencies in
GWh/a);
fuel treatment units the whole EBS power plant was automated with a state-of-the art monitoring system, the the system. Consequently, EBS is performing a system wide
Power Data System. This system is helping the plant operators and engineers to manage engine performance stability study together with a consultant for the prediction
The District
better and Power
operate Systems (blackmore
the engines circles) each with
reliably, operating as an isolated
less damage power
especially system with
to cylinder one or more Diesel
heads. and improvements of frequency load-shedding settings.
Generator Sets in a local power house (total consumption together is around 24 GWh/a); These studies and analysis are performed using the ETAP
Expansion of the Generation Capacity engineering analysis software to create models and
The Rosebel Gold Mines (green circle) where the Gold Mine operations of IAMGOLD in the Brokopondo district simulations. With the implementation of the new SCADA the
are has
EBS supplied with to
decided electric
retrofitpower
biggercoming
and more from Afobaka
efficient Hydro
diesel power Plant
generator (consumption
sets in 170 GWh/a);
its power plants. Foundations on EBS wants to go for fast load-shedding based on frequency
piles that were more than 40 years old were partly excavated and new concrete was casted and engines decay [5]. Added to this study, a similar approach with
Thetriple
of Brokopondo
capacity Distribution
was installed system
and are (blue circle) feeding
operated. This was some villages
a costly, in the
however Brokopondo
efficient action district
in shortfrom
time the
to the ETAP software will be conducted for a voltage stability Figure 3: Artist impression of the
13.8/33 kV
increase system
the at the capacity.
generation Afobaka Hydro In thePower Plant of
ENIC system about is
15.6MW 7 GWh/a;
installed, while in the EPAR system 44 MW has analysis. A P-V analysis will be performed to determine the proposed power plant of EBS [5]
been installed by EBS. Three years ago the SPCS has installed 14MW and is now expanding with an additional maximum load that could be supported for a given network configuration without voltage collapse. This result
Short
14 MWHistory of EBScapacity.
of generation will provide important information from an operational and planning perspective.

High Voltage Transmission Line & Substation (161kV) Future Expansions Potential in Suriname
Summary of Some Business Opportunities
In 2004 the EBS signed a contract with L & T (Larsen & Toubro) from India to build 2 substations and a 27
km double circuit 16 kV transmission line of 150MW capacity to increase the transport of hydro energy from New 200 MW Electric Power Plant
Paranam to municipal city of Paramaribo, reducing transmission losses with 8% over this route, and increasing
reliability and flexibility for the overall EPAR grid. To meet the demand that is at a rate of 10% per year and to replace outdated generators EBS has identified a
new location in South-West of Paramaribo to build a new power plant. Environmental, geo-structural, technical
requirements and financial studies are performed. A 200MW station with reciprocating engines of 15 -20MW
will be installed. The first stage is to have 60MW in 2 years connected to the grid. And in following years more
generators and electrical installations will be installed.

10 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL

INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 11
Rice Husk Power Plant in District Nickerie Expansion of 36 kV network, EVP projects

This district is the Western border of Suriname with Guyana and the
main provider of rice in Suriname. About 90% of rice cultivation of
Suriname is in the district Nickerie. Currently approximately 160.000
tons of rice is harvested annually. This will result in about 50.000
tons rice-husk (the hard protecting coverings of grains of rice) is
produced annually; this rice husk is presently considered as waste
and being dumped in the rivers or burned in open air. While oil prices
keep rising and to mitigate the severe environmental problems, EBS
wants to built a power plant using the rice husk biomass to fuel the
Figure 4: Burning of rice husk in
production of electricity [4], [7].
the open air in District Nickerie [7]
International Interconnection between Suriname and French-Guiana, EDB-bank
The driving forces for system modernization in Suriname are load growth, equipments no longer compatible with
the changing requirements (short circuit capabilities), ageing of the system and technological developments.
In this context EBS has upgraded, expanded, retrofitted and installed a number of 36kV infrastructures. EBS
is making more than 4000 new electric connection to customers each year. To do this EBS is expanding its
distribution network of 12kV overhead lines and 6 kV underground cables. Subsequently 50% of the substations
of the EPAR power system are automated for control and command purpose with SCADA applications. This
substation automation is helping the engineers in the command centre to control, take decisions and operate
the system much better and faster. Disturbances are detected sooner and where possible switching of circuit
breakers is operated remotely. This practice is contributing to reduce the duration of failures and improve the
availability of power.
The EBS Reliability Tool

During 1998-1999 the EBS and EDF

of French Guiana had intensified
technical relations on cooperation
and knowledge exchange
between the two electrical power
companies [1]. From this relation,
a plan had been developed to
perform an Interconnection Study
for the Suriname/French-Guiana
power system. This was performed
in the period 2005-2006. If at least
30MW of power, preferably hydro
power, would be reserved from
Suriname to be delivered to French-
Guiana, this interconnection and
related investment costs would
become feasible. There would be
additional technical, reliability and availability benefits arising from this interconnection. EBS and EDF would
need less installed and operated spinning reserves if interconnected. With the converter system a very precise
VAR control (reactive power compensation) and voltage regulation can be performed. In time of calamity on
one side, the neighboring side can deliver power from its reserves through the tie-lines and vice versa. Technical
provisions to be built in this project are: A 150 km of 161 kV transmission line from Paramaribo to Albina, a
converter station 60/50 Hz at the border and a 90 kV link to the French Guyana power system, 2 river crossing
of the Suriname river and the Marowijne river with submarine cables.

The Jai-Tapanahony Hydro Diversion plan

The Jai-Tapanahony is a multifaceted project of which the main intention is to develop extra hydro power
capacity. This plan is envisaged in the South-Eastern part of Suriname and comprises a group of dams and
hydro power plants which diverts part of the waters of Tapanahony River and Jai Creek into the existing Afobaka
Hydro Lake and generates energy by this procedure and increases the capacity in the Afobaka Hydro Power
Plant. Diversion systems and Dams will be constructed; generators in the dams and transmission lines will be
erected and connected to the Afobaka HPP to transport the power to the Paramaribo grid [1], [3], [11]. All
weather roads will be constructed to connect the Jai-Tapanahony expansion project. Together with the HPP at
the Tapanahony dam, 4 HPP at the other locations, Jai 1, Marowijne 1, 2, 3 will have a capacity of 305MW (see
figure 6). At Afobaka a second HPP will be constructed with a capacity of 116MW thus increasing the installed
capacity at Afobaka HPP to 305MW. In rain season the 5 Jai-Tapanahony-Marowijne creeks HPP’s will produce
305MW of power, and the water will be collected in the Afobaka reservoir. In the dry season there will be no
diversion of water from Jai-Tapanahony and the lake levels will be high enough for the 2 Afobaka HPP’s to
produce 189MW + 116MW = 305MW [1]. The cost of these projects is about 800 million USD. The cost of electricity
around USD 0.09 will be less than power produced from thermal generation. The construction time can be 6 to 8
years [1], [3]. This project illustrates the immense potential for developing hydro power even further in Suriname.
If realized, this project will secure Suriname of sustainable energy for many years. As stated by [11] this project
should shift from a desk study performed by a Brazilian Engineering Company (Camargo Correa) to feasibility
studies in short notice.

12 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
 Concluding Remarks create supply and transportation capacity to meet
Suriname’s economic growth requirements and at
The Kabalebo Hydro Power Project (West Suriname Hydro Power For Caribbean countries it is an important condition the same time fulfilling the need for security of supply.
Project) for their economic development to assure a secure The growth rate in demand for power is high (8 to
Since 1977 this Hydro Power Project in the Kabalebo River (West of and reliable supply of electricity. EBS is fully aware of 10 %) in the last 3 years and expected to progress
Suriname) is envisaged. The projected capacity will be 350MW to the important role that the electric power sector plays with this pace, which is the highest compared to
850MW [1]. In the first stage a dam and a 350MW HPP are planned for the development for Suriname. As utility member several other Caribbean countries. The coming
in the Kabalebo River. In the second stage diversion of water of the of CARILEC, EBS has better chances to benefit from year’s developments in the power sector of Suriname
Lucy River and the Corantijn River and a dam with HPP at Tijgervallen the important changes Caribbean power sectors are will be promising and inevitable. Proven identified
will extend the power production to 850MW. There is a bright future witnessing. This first contribution has shared knowledge projects like Jai-Tapanahony HPP, Nickerie Rice Husk
for renewable power capacity in Suriname, however it has to be and experience of proven and practical solution in the Power Plant, Bruynzeel Diesel/HFO Generating Plant,
weighed against other factors as well e.g. the inundation of land, Suriname electrical sector. Added to this it highlights introduction of photovoltaic energy for remote villages
high initial costs and health and risk issues associated with water the developments that the Suriname power sector and installation of Mini and Micro HPP are business
misuse and degradation. has undergone, and additionally gives a glimpse of opportunities. The installation of the dispatch centre,
expansions potentials. EBS is continually planning installation of SCADA applications, transmission and
Transmission & Distribution Expansions and implementing projects in order to improve and distribution infrastructure are projects that will have
In the EPAR, ENIC and Rural Areas transmission and distribution to be realized and create promising opportunities for
infrastructure, substations, transformers, lighting and metering will be
purchased and installed in the years to come. These investments, that
are necessary, will be implemented to meet the power demand in
the rapidly growing community and to ensure the reliability of supply
to the customer. It is a yearly investment of more than 15 million USD. Energy Supply in Suriname is provided for
approximately 80-85% by Hydro Electric Acknowledgments
Rural Electrification Power. The authors would like to
In the interior of Suriname there are about 112 villages that have a acknowledge Ir L. Boksteen, Dr.ir. V.S.
diesel generator unit varying from 10 to 500kW. Most of the villages Ajodhia, Eddy Frankel MSc (Power
are provided with diesel/gasoline fuel on monthly bases. There is no Manager Staatsolie), Feroz Habib
tariff regime in place and supply to the communities comes free MSc (Power Manager Suralco), A.
of charge. It is the policy of the government to continue delivering Bipat BSc (Engineer at EBS) and all
this kind of supply to the isolated people, Maroons and American departments and related engineers
Indians. It is for their social welfare and benefit to give power a few of EBS and Staatsolie for their
hours of the night and where possible longer. Transportation of fuel contribution and helpful advice,
across the rivers with waterfalls far in the interiors is very costly and which have been useful in writing this
time consuming [1], [5]. In the past some villages (Kwamalasumutu) technical article.
were supplied with solar power but did not last for long time due to
poor maintenance. In the future further application of solar power to
meet the demands for delivery of electrical power should be a priority References
for environmental and economic reason. The places where villages are near waterfalls the government should
install micro and mini HPP. Besides lighting this power can be applied for small scale industrial developments
1 Preliminary Assessment Report, SURINAME POWER 7 Presentations on Rice Husk PP Nickerie and Power
and refrigeration of meat and agricultural products. The existing diesel gen-sets can be used as back-up system
SECTOR ASSESSMENT AND ALTERNATIVES FOR ITS Demand and Supply for the Future, S. Mehairjan,
together with the solar power systems in the form of a hybrid connected system. Small wood fired steam
MODERNIZATION (ATN/SF-9038-SU), KEMA May 2008. Jan 2008.
generator sets can also be an alternative for the power production for the villages in the interior, since wood is
abundantly available and the villagers can collect this by themselves.
2 B Sc graduation report, “Find an alternative 8 Smart Grid, the Key Driver for a Sustainable
method to reduce the impact of long lasting Energy Future, Carilec Industrial Journal, Ravish P.Y.
Challenges outages on the 33/12 kV distribution transformers of Mehairjan & Evita N. Parabirsing, July 2009.
substation S/S-D and S/S-K in the Western part of the
Application of power efficient apparatus and lighting
EPAR network”, Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan, July 2008. 9 Energy Efficiency in the Power Grid, ABB Inc., 2007.
Efficiency is a simple concept which can perhaps best be summed up with the formula, “doing more with
less.” The focus is to comply with the international commitment to reduce power usage in future and to reduce
3 Presentation of Suralco L.L.C of the Jai- 10 Caribbean Regional Electricity Generation,
CO2 footprint. All customers will have to switch over to the energy efficient lights that are developing rapidly
Tapanahony Hydro Diversion Plan, Mr. Pederson, Interconnection, and Fuel Supply Strategy, Interim
nowadays. Energy saving apparatus and soft starting motor will have to be applied in every building and
2004-2005. Report, Nexant & World Bank, Jan 2010.
houses. And by using appropriate enabling technologies to link the above mentioned to the grid their potential
can be fully realized [8]. Starting with simple energy efficient apparatus is where EBS wants to initiate the journey
4 Study and presentation on Rice Husk PP, United 11 Interview with Ir. Lothar Boksteen, Engineer
towards an intelligent sustainable energy system in the end. Organizational, regulatory and policy issues are the
Engineering Calcutta, R. Gandhi, India. developing options for hydro power potential in
biggest hurdles to overcome in this topic before Suriname can make progress in this area of interest. The term
Suriname, Feb 2010.
“efficiency” is typically associated with how energy is consumed at the point of end use, but the concept of
5 Technical year reports and documents of N.V.
efficiency can also be applied to how energy is produced and distributed [9]. Using higher voltages in T&D, the
E.B.S. 12 Elektriciteit: Vraag, Aanbod en
application of high efficient distribution transformers and advances monitoring and control system EBS will be
Toekomstvooruitzichten, Business Seminar, (in Dutch),
able to reduce network losses. This contributes to CO2 reduction of the power grid. Greater energy efficiency
6 Lecture manuscript on Sustainable Power S. Mehairjan, Feb 2010.
in the T&D system means lower emissions in generation to deliver the same amount of consumed energy.
Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Prof. dr. B.
Ferreira, 2009.
14 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 15
 Abbreviations

EBS – Energy Companies of Suriname HPP – Hydro Power Plant

(Energie Bedrijven Suriname)
IPP - Independent Power Producers
SPCS – Staatsolie Power Company
Suriname SCADA – Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition

T&D – Transmission & Distribution SAIDI – System Average Interruption Duration Index

GWH – Gigawatt Hour SAIFI – System Average Interruption Frequency Index

MW – Megawatt CAIDI – Customer Average Interruption Duration Index

kW – Kilowatt EDF - Électricité de France

kV – Kilovolt EDB – European Development Bank (nowadays

Council of European Development Bank (CEB))
HFO – Heavy Fuel Oil

Samuel Mehairjan was born in Nickerie, Suriname, on

4 August 1956. He received a BSc in Electrical Power
Engineering in Suriname. In 1991 he received his MSc Your Source for
degree from Tennessee Technological University (TTU)
USA in Power Engineering. Until now he is for 29 years High Voltage
with the EBS and is currently Director of Generation Test Equipment
and Transmission. He has a clear view for the needs of ...a wide range of test systems available!
the people and solutions for the fast development of
the Power Industry in Suriname. At present he is also a AC Hipots Aerial Lift
3 kV to 1 MV Test Sets Contact us at
lecturer in High Voltage Engineering at the University 1-301-746-8118
of Suriname. He has been a member of IEEE for many info@phenixtech.com
years. 75 Speicher Drive
Accident, MD 21520
USA

www.PhenixTech.com

Transformer Test Systems 30+ Years

Distribution or Power Experience
DC Hipots/ C

Megohmmeters ISO RE 9001

6 kV to 160 kV
TIFIED

Ravish P.Y. Mehairjan was born in Paramaribo,

CABLE MOTOR

Suriname, on April 11, 1987. He graduated Cum Laude

as BSc in Electrical Power Engineering at the Anton CIRCUIT PORTABLE

de Kom University of Suriname in July 2008, where he

conducted a study for EBS. In this study he looked at
BREAKER
Rubber Goods Test Systems for
alternative methods to reduce the impact of long- Gloves, Sleeves, Overshoes, Helmets, Hoses, GENERATOR PROTECTIVE

Hoods, Switch Sticks, Bucket Liners, Blankets,

lasting outages in the West part of the Paramaribo + Rubber Goods Washers & Dryers
G
EQUIPMENT

power system. At present Ravish is working towards GIS RECLOSER

an MSc in Electrical Power Engineering with the

specialization in High Voltage Technology & Asset SWITCHGEAR

Management at the Delft University of Technology in INSULATION TRANSFORMER

the Netherlands. Ravish is member of the Energy Club MATERIALS

of Delft University of Technology, which is a student-

led club of academia and industry.

16 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
 FUEL PRICE HEDGING RECENT EVENTS

THE LUCELEC EXPERIENCE

Beginning in the middle of 2007 and up to the middle of 2008 there was significant volatility in the price of fuel
on the international market on a scale never experienced in recent history. As a result fuel prices reached
unprecedented highs causing severe stress to customers, the economy generally and to the Company.

All the major electricity generating companies in the region rely on fossil fuels as their prime or only source of
generation. This fuel is imported and purchased at market prices that are impacted by many factors out of the
utilities’ control. As a result customer tariffs can sometimes vary significantly from month to month due to these
external factors and due to the fact that under legislation the utility companies usually pass fuel costs on to the
customers via a “pass though” mechanism, that is, with no mark up.

THE CHALLENGE
LUCELEC recognized the issue some years ago and its impact on customers and the Company.
These included: - Figure 1

The price paid by the Company for fuel as shown in the graph (figure 1) above demonstrates the scale of the
• Fuel costs represented the single largest cost component for the Company. volatility that pertained during the period.
• The Company had no control of the price of this significant item. Under the Electricity Supply Act (ESA) the Company is authorized to carry out hedge activities and to pass on
the effects to its customers. In addition to the direct effects of the hedge programme the ESA also allowed the
• Prices paid impacted significantly on its customers’ monthly bills. passing on of costs directly associated with hedging activities. The exception to the authorization relates to
those costs associated with the early termination of hedge contracts.
• Fuel prices were inherently volatile, making it very difficult for the Company and its customers to manage
their costs.
• Constantly fluctuating prices negatively impacted upon customers’ perception of the Company as a WHY HEDGE
caring company.
The Company therefore decided to institute a fuel price hedging programme with the following objectives: -
• These negative perceptions damaged and set back efforts to improve customer satisfaction ratings.
• To stabilize the price of fuel that the Company paid
• The Company’s operations, activities and motives were questioned by the customers who
understandably did not appreciate or understand the fuel pass through mechanism and its impact on • To pass on this measure of price stability and reduced volatility to the tariffs
their bills.
• To assist customers in managing and planning their electricity spend in a more efficient manner
• Business customers were experiencing extreme difficulties as the cost of electricity forms a significant
cost component of their operations and they were unable to predict with any degree of accuracy • To provide relief to the economy generally through a greater degree of predictability in
what their monthly bills were likely to be. electricity costs

• Certain businesses which engage in highly competitive operations and for which forward pricing is
a significant aspect of their business were forced to give up their margins or incur losses due to fuel price
movements.
• The pass through cost for fuel purchases have a significant impact on the Company’s cash flow as
costs are recovered 60 to 90 days after they are incurred.
• To assist business customers to manage their costs, price their goods and services and generally plan
and forecast with a greater level or certainty and assurance
• To allow LUCELEC to manage its cash flows and deliver improved service to its customers

18 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 19

HOW TO HEDGE?
LUCELEC purchases its fuel at spot prices under the terms of a supplier contract with HESS Oil St. Lucia Ltd. Any
hedge activities, therefore, had to be based on price and not on the physical product.

The Company also needed to make a decision on its risk tolerance level in terms of the type of hedge instruments FUEL PRICE HEDGING - THE LUCELEC EXPERIENCE
to be used. There are a large number of tools available, from the simple to the very complicated, including
Fixed Price Swaps, Collars, Options, Futures, as well as variations of these.

Consideration for selection of the relevant hedge instrument also rested on the experience of the staff, hedge
THE PROCESS
objectives, risk potential, the impact on human and other resources for monitoring and managing the hedge,
Management secured the services of experienced resources in the field and the following were undertaken or
all tied in with the strategic objective underlying this initiative.
implemented: -

• An in depth analysis of price hedging including the risks, benefits, processes, financial and operational
GOVERNANCE AND REPORTING impacts.
The Board of Directors, following approval of the price hedging programme delegated authority for the
• A Fuel Risk Management Committee was set up to manage the process and ongoing activities. This
operation and implementation of the programme to a committee of senior officials of the Company – the Fuel
committee comprised some members of the Company’s senior management team.
Risk Management Committee (FRMC).
• A Risk Policy document was approved outlining the scope for the programme including authority
The authorities and procedures of the Committee are governed by the Board Resolution and policy details
limits, procedures, reporting procedures, analysis, etc.
documented below.
• A Hedge Strategy document was developed outlining the rationale for the programme.
Governance is exercised by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors to which the FRMC is required to
report on all aspects of the programme at each of Audit Committee meetings (usually 4 times a year).
• A formal Request for Proposals (RFP) was prepared for potential hedge counterparties.

• The evaluation, analysis and selection of an appropriate counterparty to carry out hedge activities
with were done.

• The Company formally engaged a counterparty to conduct hedge activities with.

• The review and negotiation of relevant agreements to commence activities:-

o ISDA Master Agreement – The “boilerplate” agreement pertaining to all contracts.

o Schedule to the ISDA Master Agreement – A separate contract to accommodate variations

to the ISDA Master Agreement in respect of negotiated items, exceptions, items that are
not applicable, etc.

o Credit Support Annex – An Agreement to cover mainly financial terms such as credit limits,
valuation periods and computations, settlement terms, etc.

o Board Resolutions – Extract from the relevant Board of Directors meeting that must clearly
indicate authority and scope.

o Legal opinions – Local external counsel opinion usually accepted by counterparties but it
must provide the requisite comfort.

• Ensuring that the relevant conditions were met for the proper adoption of accounting
treatment and reporting.

• A review and sign off by the Company’s external auditors.

• Discussions and agreement with the Company’s bankers with respect to the requisite financial
arrangements that may be required.

• Ensuring that the appropriate operational arrangements were in place for all aspects of the
process.

20 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 21

PILOT PROGRAMME
Recognizing the complexities and intricacies involved in fuel price hedging, and as an integral part of its risk
management policy, the Company undertook a pilot programme for the period July to December 2009. Under
this pilot programme the Company hedged a limited amount of its fuel purchases (30% in the first instance) and FUEL PRICE HEDGING - THE LUCELEC EXPERIENCE
up to maximum of 75% for the last quarter of 2009.

The
pilot programme met its objectives of reducing risk, enabling company officers to educate themselves on .
the practical aspects of price hedging and to interact with counterparties and evaluate their potential and
deliverables. APPLICATION OF HEDGE – FIXED PRICE SWAPS

The pilot programme incurred some costs which, under the legislation were passed on the customers, including
fees related to legal, consultancy, programme development, governance policy, documentation, tender
evaluation, training and so on.
THE FULL HEDGE PROGRAMME
Following the pilot programme the Company moved to pursue a full-fledged hedge programme to cover the
period 2010 utilizing Fixed Price Swaps and to cover 75% of volumes.
Request for Proposals were sent out to various institutions primarily including oil companies and financial houses.
Responses were evaluated and a formal interview and selection process took place, aided by expert external
resources. Selection criteria were used to evaluate and rank all responses.
The FRMC was authorised to use only Fixed Price Swaps to hedge its fuel price. Fundamentally, this tool allows
the Company to eliminate the daily fuel price fluctuations by committing to fixed prices with the counterparty.
This price is determined after taking several factors into consideration including the strategic objectives of the
programme, current fuel prices, projected prices and trends, and the Company’s risk appetite, among others.
Hedge contracts can be made for as far ahead as authorised, but generally the Company hedges on a
quarterly basis. That is, the FRMC always ensures that at least one quarter is fully hedged to the maximum
authorised, though it may hedge smaller amounts for future periods. The Company pays its supplier at the
market rates as it purchases the physical product. On a monthly basis the market price that the Company paid
(excluding any local duties and taxes) is compared against the hedge price and one of the parties “makes up”
the difference by cash payment. This is illustrated across:-

Certain main items were determined to be critical by the FRMC including: -

• Experience in hedging
• Experience in/knowledge of the oil industry
• Financial strength
• Favourable credit terms and security requirements
• Flexibility in meeting the Company’s requests
• Responsiveness to queries
• Ability to recommend solutions
• Level and quality of support at the front end, middle office and back office
• Willingness to meet the Company’s needs
• Availability of key personnel

A shortlist was prepared and as part of the process the parties selected were requested to make presentations
to the FRMC.

Further rankings were made after the face to face presentations as these allowed the Company to meet the
key people and to further evaluate their offers based on these presentations, interaction with LUCELEC staff
and general deportment.

The Company decided that in order to provide flexibility it required at least 4 counterparties and that these
would comprise a mix of industry players and financial houses to leverage the strengths of each.

After extended negotiations, agreements were signed with 4 counterparties for the full-fledged programme.

Figure 2 showing camparison of the Market Price and Hedge Price.

22 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 23

 FUEL PRICE HEDGING - THE LUCELEC EXPERIENCE

The average fuel price as computed on the hedged prices and passed through to customers.

HEDGE RESULTS TO DATE

From the pilot programme to date the results of the programme is shown.

In short, the programme has provided a certain measure of stability and reduced volatility for the customers.
Keeping in mind that 25% of volumes are not hedged (in accordance with prudent practice) and by the nature
of any hedged programme there is no guarantee that absolute elimination of volatility is possible.

The results shown below indicate the effects on the monthly average fuel price (figure 3) and three representative
tariff categories (figures 4, 5 & 6).

Figure 3

Figure 4
24 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
 FUEL PRICE HEDGING - THE LUCELEC EXPERIENCE

KEY IMPERATIVES FOR A HEDGE PROGRAMME

• Formulate and articulate a clear rationale for the programme.

Figure 5
Figure 6
COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS
As with significant matters such as this, it is important and critical that education and sensitization of stakeholders
form an essential part of the success of the initiative. These stakeholders include the Government, customers, key
suppliers, the Company’s bankers, shareholders, external auditor, employees, industry and trade associations
among others.
In addition to the activities conducted in the early stages of the programme, a wide ranging communications
programme is being rolled out commencing July 2010. This includes the use of various media, messages tailored
for different target groups (including the staff) over a period of time so that all groups are kept up to date on
the Company’s activities.
• Document this in a Hedge Strategy document.
• Present a case and obtain formal approval of the Board of Directors or similar authority.
• Draw up a Risk Management document outlining matters such as risk tolerance, governance
procedures, levels of authority, scope of activities, reporting procedures, procedure for changes to
policy, and board requirements.
• Utilise independent external expert resources as early as possible to address the significant financial,
accounting, legal, negotiation and other elements required to commence the programme.
• Establish clear responsibility for day to day management of the programme.
• Start simple – this activity is very complicated and expertise is gained over a long period of time.
• Document all significant matters discussed, especially with parties willing to provide services.
• There are many counterparties that are willing to do business – have a clear idea of how many
parties that can be managed effectively.
• Ensure that the parties responsible for hedge implementation and management are clear on the
strategy so as to ensure that the objectives will be met.
• Obtain independent and expert recommendations and opinions on the accounting treatment for
hedge transactions.
• Ensure some measure of additional and independent oversight such as the Internal Auditor reporting
to the Board.
• Ensure acceptable credit terms and that the Company’s bankers are sensitized or involved as early
as possible.
• Establish clear contact procedures and guidelines with counterparties so as to ensure that
communication procedures are in accordance with good business practice.
• Ensure that training is sourced at the beginning of the programme and that this is continuous.
• As much as possible spread knowledge among as many members of the Company as possible. This
helps in the establishment of a resource pool base and to assist in the staff and stakeholder sensitization.
• Ensure that adequate time is allocated for hedge activities to ensure the success of the programme
and to reduce the risk of an ineffective programme.
• Ensure that minutes are kept of meetings.
• Track hedge results monthly.
• Implement reporting guidelines for submission to Board or other authority.
• Utilise members of the hedge implementation group for different activities such as contacts with
counterparties, market analysis, financial arrangements, hedge placement, monitoring credit
limits, etc.

26 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 27

 FUEL
FUELPRICE
PRICE HEDGING
HEDGING -- THE
THE LUCELEC EXPERIENCE
LUCILEC EXPERIENCE
Jamaica’s
Partner
• Communication with all stakeholders, tailored to their needs, should be timely and continuous.
• Conduct counterpart evaluations in a structured manner and on a regular basis with all counterparties.
• Ensure that counterparties provide assurance and required information and authorities that the
Company needs.
• Address any counterpart breach of process or procedures immediately.
•

•
Face to face presentations provide a significant means of determining counterparty compatibility
and suitability.
Obtain independent advice on significant matters such as legal issues, market conditions, industry
in Progress
trends, hedge placements (price points and volumes), hedge tools, risk evaluations, selection
of counterparties, training, performance, evaluation techniques, and technical issues such as
correlation and credit exposure.

DOCUMENTATION AND REQUIREMENTS

For over 100 years the Jamaica
o Board Resolution authorizing hedge activity Public Service Company (JPS) has
o Regulatory sign-off
played a vital role in Jamaica’s
o Hedge Strategy document
o Risk Policy document
economic and social development.
o Legal opinion on contracts
o Sign-off by external auditor on accounting treatment We have built a team of
o Availability of adequate security – Standby Letter of Credit/ Cash professionals with the experience
and expertise to respond quickly
CONCLUSION
in times of emergency, and
Hedge activities, utilized as a risk mitigation strategy and customer service enhancement can assist the thoughtfully to the exciting
Company significantly. Fuel costs, being of such significance to customers and the economy, require attention possibilities of the future.
and to the extent that the negative effects can be mitigated this can redound to the benefit of the Company,
customers and the country as a whole.

The Company must be clear in its objectives and must be prepared to invest the resources required to
accomplish those objectives. It is also a significant opportunity to enhance the Company’s image and provide
another learning experience for the Company.

Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is an

integrated utility company that engages in the
generation, transmission, and distribution of
electricity. It is 80% owned by Marubeni TAQA
Caribbean Power Holdings and the rest by the
Government of Jamaica and a small group of
shareholders.

28 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
www.jpsco.com
Lineworker Training Lineworker Training
For Live-Line Work For Live-Line Work
Increasingly, electric power utilities are expected to keep the electricity
FUEL PRICE HEDGING - THE LUCILEC
flowing, even during times of T&D maintenance. However, working on
EXPERIENCE
lines and equipment energized with high voltage electricity presents Identifying Exposed Live Parts and their Voltage Levels
significant hazards to lineworkers who are not properly trained. Working
on energized lines and equipment can be performed safely. To do so To be a qualified live-line worker, the employee must be able to identify
however, requires the lineworker to be considered ‘Qualified’ in live-line parts of the electric system that are ‘live’ (energized) or may accidentally
work. become energized. Knowing this information helps the worker to physically
The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health locate the part, in relation to their working position, determine their proximity
Administration (OSHA) defines the term “Qualified Employee” in Standard to it (approach distance) and develop a mitigation plan for the particular
1910.269(a)(2)(ii) thus: hazard: do I insulate myself from the hazard; do I isolate myself from the
“… trained and competent in: work, the chance of a contact
hazard or both? (Insulate and Isolate factors are discussed in more detail
(A). The skills and techniques necessary to distinguish exposed live injury is negligible, when this work
later)
parts from other parts of electric equipment; is performed correctly.
The IEEE standard below lists two ‘live parts’ categories:
(B). The skills and techniques necessary to determine the nominal
The severity of contact injuries
voltage of exposed live parts; 1. Live parts at their normal operating voltage unless they are properly
varies based on a number of
(C). The minimum approach distances specified in this grounded
factors, but the possibility of
section corresponding to the voltages to
contact should be considered
which the qualified employee will be 2. Live parts at their normal operating voltage or less, since the
a serious hazard when
exposed, and voltage gradient is disturbed across them.
performing work on
(D). The proper use of the special energized systems or
precautionary techniques, on systems that have
IEEE Std. 516-2009, 4.9.1 Live Parts:
personal protective equipment, been de-energized
insulating and shielding materials The following are considered to be live parts at their normal operating
but could re-energize
and insulated tools for working voltage unless they are properly grounded:
through accident or
on or near energized parts of error.
• Conductors (bare)
electric equipment.
• Conductors (insulated, unless they have solidly grounded and
System short
tested shields)
Note: For the purposes of this section, circuits can cause
• Rigid bus
a person must have this training in order to an arc flash, which
• Bushings, surge arrestors, potential transformers, current transformers,
to be considered a qualified person.” is a second serious
and pothead energized ends and terminal connections
category of hazards to
• Circuit switching devices
live-line workers. Actually
hazards • Disconnect switch blade and terminals
Hazards Associated with the concept of electrical
most often • Wave traps and series reactors
Live-Line Work potential is largely to blame
encountered by • Workers and equipment bonded to the conductor
here, as well. Any time a high
the worker. (bare-hand work)
Most serious accidents involving voltage electricity arc suddenly
• Helicopters that support workers performing live-line work
lineworkers are caused by contact moves from one object to
In contact accidents, electricity • Rubber glove protectors
with energized lines and equipment. another, an immediate release of
Electrical flashes present a serious moves through the worker because of light and heat occurs. The light
‘potential’ differences. Potential, for our The following are considered to be live parts at their normal operating
hazard as well. This is not just the is so bright that it can damage a
purposes, can be defined as a condition voltage or less since the voltage gradient is disturbed across them:
case with live-line work, as might be worker’s retinas. The radiant heat
assumed, but with all powerline work. that determines the flow of an electrical released by the arc can reach
charge. Typically, a worker is at ‘ground • Support insulator
Even when lines and equipment are temperatures greater than those
potential’. When contacting power lines • Insulating sections of bushings, surge arrestors, potential transformers,
thought to be de-energized, either found on the surface of the sun,
or equipment at the potential required current transformers, and potheads
they are not or have suddenly become almost instantly. Most workers
by nominal system operation, electricity • Dry wood poles and cross arms without bonded or grounded
energized through some human error or can’t react quickly enough to
will flow through the worker if he or she insulator hardware, which may be part of the insulation system and
equipment malfunction. In such cases, avoid exposure, if close to an arc
is at a different potential. In this case, may have potential across them
workers suffer contact and flash injuries flash. The heat generated will
electricity must have an entry point and • Insulating boom of aerial devices in contact with the conductor
from supposedly ‘dead’ systems. burn most objects close to the
an exist point (to a source of different • Live working tools bridging the air gap
arc, including the worker.
potential) to pass through the worker. • Insulating ladders and platforms bridging the air gap
But certainly, with work performed while An important part of lineworker
Oddly, but correctly, when the worker is • Insulating rope between the conductor and a part at ground
the lines and equipment have been left training for live-line work is a
at the same electrical potential, such as potential
intentionally energized, contact with the thorough understanding of
during bare hand transmission work or • Link or lift sticks
lines or equipment and flashes caused the hazards the worker may
in the case of an equi-potential zone of • Strain pole
by electrical arcs constitute the two encounter.
protection on de-energized distribution • Cross arm extensions
main types of serious, life-threatening
 Lineworker Training
For Live-Line Work
In addition to properly identifying exposed live parts,
the qualified live-line worker needs to be able to
determine the nominal voltage present in those
energized lines and equipment. This rarely can be
done visually with any assurance. The invisibility of
electricity is considered one of the hazards lineworkers
must face.
Voltage testers are available to the lineworker to
determine the existing voltage present on the subject
lines and equipment. This information is critical when
determining which insulating tools and equipment
to select to safely perform the work, as well as which
PPE to select. Wearing Class I Rubber Gloves (rated
for a maximum of 7.5 KV), for example, would be
Minimum Approach Distance and Working
Position
Flowing electricity, especially at high voltage, has
the power to short circuit through the air from one
point to another point with a different potential. This
is called an arc flash, as discussed earlier. The higher
the voltage the farther the arc can jump. Obviously
this means that air, our atmosphere, is acting as a
conductor in these cases, allowing the electricity to
pass through it. But oddly, air is also an insulator. Air
can actually provide an insulating barrier between an
energized part and the worker. But as the worker gets
closer to the energized part, the insulating value of

Add Regional Strength to

the air gets weaker, endangering the worker, if he or
dangerous when working on a 34.5KV line. Or, using she is at a different potential.
a line hose rated for 15 KV on a 34.5 KV line, foolish.
But unless the worker has actually tested the line for

nominal voltage present, it’s a guessing game that
may have tragic results.
Even when performing work on de-energized lines
and equipment, testing for the absence of voltage is a
critical safety practice. Visually verifying that a circuit
is open is an important step in many maintenance
operations, however testing for the absence of
voltage is considered essential in confirming that the
line and/or equipment is truly de-energized. Several
tools are available to the lineworker to test for the
absence of voltage before any work is performed.
Training live-line workers to properly identify exposed
live system parts and the voltage levels present, or
that may become present in the system, is critical to
maintaining safety on the job site.
US DOL OSHA, using The Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) Standard 516-2009,
has devised a chart (Table R6)to assist lineworkers
in knowing safe working distances from energized
parts, based on the voltage present. This is called the
Minimum Approach Distance (MAD) Chart. The Chart
illustrates how close an unprotected worker can get
to an energized part, based on three variables:
• Nominal Voltage in kilovolts (phase to phase)
• Phase to ground exposure
• Phase to phase exposure
Safe working distances are shown in both feet / inches
and in meters.
Your Business
About FirstCaribbean International Bank
FirstCaribbean is a major Caribbean bank offering a full range of market-leading financial services in Corporate
Banking, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Credit Cards, Treasury and Investment Banking. It is the largest,
regionally listed bank in the English-speaking Caribbean, with assets over US$10.9 billion and market
capitalisation of US$2.5 billion. The Bank has over 3,500 staff, 60 branches, 22 banking centres, and seven offices
in 17 regional markets, serving 550,000 active accounts.
If your business requires access to Corporate Investment Banking or Treasury Services, come in and talk to us at
FirstCaribbean International Bank. We offer the strength of the region's largest publicly traded bank, strong
international experience, and extensive local expertise.
Our Portfolio of Services includes:
• Structured Financing and Advisory Services • Energy Financing
• Mergers and Aquisitions • Inventory and Receivables Financing
• Debt and Equity Placements • Equipment and Vehicle Financing
• Bond Issuance/Underwriting • Leasing Financing
• Syndicated Loans and Project Financing • Other Medium to Long-Term Financing

US DOL OSHA Regulation •

•
Mutual Funds Investments
Certificates of Deposit
• Foreign Exchange Trading

For more information, please contact either of our regional offices at:
1910.269(L)(2) Minimum approach distances:
Bahamas – 1 242 356 1708 Jamaica – 1 876 935 4701
The employer shall ensure that no employee approaches or take any conductive object closer to exposed Barbados – 1 246 467 8723 Trinidad – 1 868 822 5071
energized parts than set forth in Table R-6 through Table R-10, unless:
(i) The employee is insulated from the energized part (insulating gloves or insulating gloves and sleeves
worn in accordance with paragraph (l)(3) of this section are considered insulation of the employee
only with regard to the energized part upon which work is being performed), or
(ii) The energized part is insulated from the employee and from any other conductive object at a
different potential.
www.firstcaribbeanbank.com

FirstCaribbean International Bank is a member of the CIBC Group.

The CIBC logo is a trademark of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, used by FirstCaribbean International Bank under license.
32 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
 Lineworker Training
For Live-Line Work
If the worker is working above the energized part, for example, there may be a danger of falling into the line or
Table R-6 equipment. This may cause the worker to make contact with a part of his body not insulated. Additionally, a
working position above the energized line or equipment exposes the worker to a greater flash injury, since heat
rises. Best practices require the live-line worker to approach and work on energized lines and equipment from
Nominal voltage in Phase to ground exposure Phase to phase exposure below, whenever possible.
kilovolts phase to phase (ft-in) (m) Minimum approach distance and safe working position are both important training concepts for lineworkers
(ft-in) (m)
doing live-line work.

0.05 to 1.0 Avoid Contact Avoid Contact Insulate and Isolate

1.1 to 15.0 2-1 0.64 2-2 0.66 Two additional concepts that require a significant amount of training for live-line workers are correctly and
adequately insulating workers from electricity and how to correctly and adequately isolate workers from ground
potential. In both instances, performed in accordance with known best practices, workers can physically work
15.1 to 36.0 2-4 0.72 2-7 0.77 on most energized systems, safely.

36.1 to 46.0 2-7 0.77 2-10 0.85

46.1 to 72.5
72.6 to 121
3-0 0.90
3-2 0.95
Insulating workers can be categorized into Principal Insulation and Supplemental Insulation.
3-6 1.05
• Principal Insulation includes personal protective equipment such as rubber gloves, rubber
sleeves and rubber shoes, and insulating tools such as aerial devices and live working tools (hot-sticks,
4-3 1.29 auxiliary arms, mast poles, saddles, pole clamps, etc.).

138 to 145 3-7 1.09 4-11 1.50 • Supplemental Insulation includes cover-up (rubber blankets, line hose, hoods, pole and line guards),
barriers and shields and specially equipped helicopters used in transmission line maintenance.

161 to 169 4-0 1.22 5-8 1.71

230 to 242 5-3 1.59 7-6 2.27

345 to 362 8-6 2.59 12-6 3.80

500 to 550 11-3 3.42 18-1 5.50

765 to 800 14-11 4.53 26-0 7.91

Required Minimum Electrical Clearances

It’s important to note that the Chart was developed with certain assumptions about the position of the worker
and the system. This Chart is for alternating current only and represents sea level with normal barometric
pressures, moderate relative humidity and air that is fairly clear (no particulates). Other Charts are available
when working at an altitude, for example. In these cases, air is actually thinner which would require increasing
the safe working distances.

Of course there are conditions in which it is safe for protected live-line workers to actually touch and work on
energized parts. These conditions will be discussed later.

Safe working position is an additional important consideration for live-line workers, as well as safe working
distance. When working on energized lines and equipment, a lineworker may be using all the insulating PPE
correctly for the site conditions, however he or she may still be in danger of either a contact or flash injury based

34 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
 Lineworker Training
For Live-Line Work
Extensive training is required in the proper use, care
and maintenance of all insulating equipment. Live-
line workers must know the limits of such equipment
and the specific voltages on which they are safely
used.
Isolating workers from ground potential includes the
use of insulated bucket trucks, insulated platforms
(Baker boards) and special grounding techniques
when performing work on de-energized lines that can
accidently re-energize (equi-potential grounding).
An illustration of Step and Touch Potential is shown
below. Training for live-line work not only includes the
worker performing the ‘hands-on’ work, but all workers
at the job-site.
There is a special type of live-line work on extra high
voltage (EHV) transmission systems known as Bare-
hand live-line work. Special suits, equipment and
tools are required to safely perform this type of work
and extensive training for each worker must be
conducted. Bare-hand workers are actually working
at line potential, in these cases, but will be totally
isolated from sources of different potential, nearby.
The concept is similar to watching a bird sitting on a
powerline. As long as the bird touches nothing else of
a different potential, he is safe.
Additionally, some transmission live-line work can be
performed using helicopters with special platforms on
which the worker sits while working on the transmission
line. Again, special suits, equipment and tools are
required and the training is extensive.
Both of these types of live-line work are beyond the
scope of this paper and warrant lengthy papers of
their own.

Of special concern to workers that are part of the Conclusion

‘ground crew’ sometimes called groundmen or
helpers, is a shock hazard from a truck or crane
being used at the job-site. When an equipment
boom (bucket truck, digger boom or crane boom) is
in the air, there is a danger of the boom contacting
energized lines and equipment. If this happens with a
bucket truck boom, the live-line worker in the bucket
may be effectively isolated, avoiding serious injury,
but if the boom insulation fails, electricity may seek a
path to ground. When this happens, the truck body
may become energized as the current passes through
the tires and outrigger pads, to the ground. Ideally
the bucket truck is properly grounded before work
begins, in which case most of the current will flow
through the grounding cable. However, electricity will
take all paths to ground. So, while most of the current
will flow through the grounding cable, some current
will likely exit through the truck body into the tires and
outrigger pads – and through the worker standing on
the ground, if that worker is touching the truck body
at any point. This is true of a digger or crane boom
contact, as well. All trucks and rolling equipment that
may come in contact with energized lines at a job-
site should be barricaded for the safety of the workers
and the public. No one should go near a piece of
equipment with the boom in the air.
Associated with this type of hazard for the ground
worker, is a concept known as ‘Step and Touch
Potential.’ As electricity flows from an energized
line into a truck boom through a ground rod, tire or
outrigger pad, the current spreads out from that
source. The current degrades quickly, causing a
difference in potential within the soil. A natural
reaction by a ground worker, should an accident such
as the one described above occur, is to run away
from the vehicle. As the worker steps away with one
foot, he or she will likely be shocked by the current in
the soil. By having two feet on the energized soil, at a
different electrical potential, current will likely flow up
one foot, through his legs and out the other foot.
36 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
Repairs and maintenance on energized, high-voltage lines and equipment can be performed safely when, 1.) workers
are properly trained in the hazards present, 2.) workers know the nominal voltages of the systems on which they are
working, 3.) workers understand the safe working distances and positions required, and 4.) workers understand the
proper use of insulating and isolating techniques, and what to do in emergencies.
US DOL OSHA standards given below and IEEE offer excellent resources concerning proper safety practices and
recommended techniques for safely performing live-line work.
US DOL OSHA standards: 1910.269p (a) (2) Training; 1910.269 (a) (3) Existing Conditions; 910.269(I) (6) Apparel; 1910.134
(as of January, 2007)(f) Training; 1910.333 Selection and use of work practices; 1910.269 (I): (4) Working position;
1910.269(p): (4) Operations near energized lines or equipment; 1910.333 (c) :Working on or near exposed energized
parts; 1910.269(J) : (j) Live-line tools; and 1910.269(j)(2): Condition of tools.
Only ‘Qualified’ live-line workers should be assigned jobs involving systems that will remain energized during repairs and
maintenance. Initial and reoccurring training for lineworkers assigned to this type of work is critical for both the safety
of the job-site workers and the safety of the electrical systems on which they work.
Ground Potential
Gradient
Illustration
“Step and Touch
Potential” Ronald J. Schenk, COSS, Executive Director
Institute for Safety in Powerline Construction
5501-A John Eskew Blvd.
Transmission Bare-hand Work and Working
from Helicopters Alexandria, LA 71303
Previously all discussion about training for live-line work 318-767-58022 June 2010
had referred primarily to work on systems with typical ron@ispconline.com
distribution voltages (at or below 34.5 KV).
INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 37

RECOVERED ENERGY GENERATION FROM
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES EXHAUST
Yoram Bronicki, Ormat Technologies, Inc.
Rising energy costs and concerns about the effect
of CO2 emissions on climate change have renewed
interest for efficiency improvement in fossil fuel
use as well as the utilization of locally available low
or moderate temperature heat sources, such as
geothermal, solar or industrial waste heat.
This paper summarizes four decades of Ormat’s
significant achievements in developing cycles,
configurations and equipment for electricity
generation from industrial low grade waste heat and
geothermal resources using the Organic Rankine
cycle (ORC).
As of June 2010 Ormat has supplied over 20 such waste
heat Recovered Energy Generation (REG) power
plants having a power output from 300 kW to 7 MW
totaling over 100 MW of capacity. In addition, Ormat
supplied similar equipment for geothermal power
plants ranging from 200 kW to 130 MW in countries
such as the United States, New Zealand, Central
America and Africa, totaling over 1100 MW. Of these
plants Ormat owns and operates more than 500 MW
of capacity consisting of both geothermal and REG.
1. INTRODUCTION
Concerns regarding energy costs and climate change
have renewed interest for efficiency improvement in
fossil fuel utilization.
Locally available low to moderate temperature
heat sources offer an important potential for fuel and
emission-free electricity production. Such sources are
readily available in many industrial process today as
waste heat streams. Renewable sources of low to
moderate temperature are also available within the
earth, in the form of geothermal energy.
One form of energy conversion commonly used today
is the steam Rankine cycle. Conventional steam
Rankine cycles present a number of drawbacks for
the efficient utilization of such heat sources. Steam
Rankine cycles usually require constant replenishment
of the cycle’s motive fluid (water), are sensitive to
operation beyond its design conditions, and require
constant attention for operation and maintenance.
These cycles are more applicable to higher
temperature heat sources.
The thermodynamic cycle of choice for low to
moderate temperature heat sources is the organic
Rankine cycle, using selected organic fluids.
The use of organic fluids in Rankine cycle is not new [1].
38 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
Ships using acetone as motive fluid in piston engines
were in service for some time between Europe and
the Amazons in the late 19th century. A small solar
turbine was operating in Libya during the thirties of the
last century [2].
In 1965 Ormat began research and development and
in 1967 started commercialization of the Ormat Energy
Converter (OEC) [3] [4] which uses a turbine driven by
the vapor of an organic motive fluid operating in a
Rankine cycle. This was the first commercial use of
ORC.
After the energy crisis of 1977, a number of turbo
machinery companies and developers [5] anticipated
a market growth of such systems entered the organic
Rankine cycle field [6]. However they abandoned this
field when their expectations were not realized due to
low energy costs. [5] [6].
Ormat continued to pursue this field, applying its
technology first to small, high reliability, fossil fueled
and hermetically sealed power units [7] and, in the
last two decades, solar, geothermal and Recovered
Energy Generation systems. By 2010 power production
capacity totaling about 1200 MW were built by Ormat
using its organic Rankine cycle technology. This paper
is an overview of the different applications of Ormat
Rankine Cycle in particular for the use of waste heat.
References are provided for more detailed description
of the specific applications.
2. RECOVERED ENERGY GENERATION FOR
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
2.1 Principle of Operation
Figure 1 – REG using OEC
Exhaust heat is transferred to heat transfer oil in the
waste heat recovery unit. Hot oil flows to the vaporizer
where it vaporizes the motive fluid. From the vaporizer,
hot oil flows to the preheater where it preheats the
motive fluid. It is then returned by a pump to the
waste heat recovery unit. Motive fluid vapor drives
the turbine and generator. Motive fluid exhaust
vapor enters a recuperator where, in series with the
condenser, is condensed to a liquid. Motive fluid liquid
is pumped to the recuperator to begin the reheat
process. The reheat process is completed in the
preheater. The preheated motive fluid is then returned
into the vaporizer, completing the cycle.
Table 1
* Gross at ISO conditions
2.2 REG for Diesel and Gas Engines
The exhaust gases from large reciprocating gas or
diesel engines are very suitable for the ORC unit. The
heat source is generally clean and easily accessible,
and the vaporizer can be designed for several inches
of water pressure drop without upsetting the engine
efficiency. Table 1 gives the potential recovered
energy from different engines. Figure 2 shows a typical
REG unit installed on a 2 MW gas engine.
Figure 2 - REG of 300 kW from the exhaust of
gas engines
2.3 Jacket Water Heat Recovery Recovery of jacket
water heat from large engines of 5 MW and higher
or clusters of small engines totaling 5 MW or higher, at
least, can be used for preheating the motive fluid and
add approximately 15% to the power output. This is not
applicable to gas turbines. 2.4 REG for Gas Turbines
The gas turbine exhausts are equally attractive for use
with the ORC system. Table 2 gives the properties of
recovered energy from different types of gas turbines.
Table 2
* Gross at ISO conditions
Figure 3 shows a typical installation on a
gas compressor site.
Figure 3 – REG of 3.5 MW from Two Solar
Gas Turbines
3. THE ORMAT RANKINE CYCLE 3.1 Cycle Consideration
The initial interest in the use of organic vapor, rather
than steam in Rankine cycles was driven by an attempt
to simplify the turbine by reducing the tip blade
velocity by using high molecular mass motive fluids [2]
Unfortunately, and contrary to steam, the expansion
of such vapors leads to excessive superheating which
increases the reinjection temperature substantially
above the condensing temperature allowed by the
heat sink being either ambient air or water and,
consequently, a reduction of the cycle efficiency [4].
A modified Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) was
proposed where the rejected superheat is used in a
recuperator to preheat the liquid in its path from the
condenser to the vaporizer [3][4]. It was shown that the
resultant cycle is largely independent of the fluid; this
opened the range of possible fluids which could be
used. This energy feedback should not be confused
with regenerative feed heating used in large steam
turbines. In these systems, steam is bled off the turbine
at various points during the expansion and is used to
preheat the feed water. In that case the steam bled
off does not continue through the turbine, so that it
does not perform all the mechanical work it could.
In the present system, only exhaust vapor is used,
that is, vapor which has already done all possible
mechanical work.
39 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL

Figure 4 – Temperature – Entropy Diagrams for Water
and Organic Fluids
The figure below shows the Ormat Rankine Cycle
using recuperation. The heat recovered by cooling
the exhaust vapor from the temperature in 4” to
the temperature in 5”, is used to preheat, in the
recuperator 13”, the liquid from T1 to T3.
Figure 5 – The Ormat Rankine Cycle
4. FEATURES OF ORMAT’S RANKINE CYCLE
The use of the recuperated cycle removed the penalty
of lower cycle efficiency of organic fluids and opened
the possibility to choose from a variety of fluids having
appropriate characteristics to achieve the following
objectives in the plant design for specific conditions
of the heat source and heat sink temperatures as well
as flow rates:
Economical in smaller sizes
Hydrocarbons, such as pentane, have a lower specific
volume than steam. This results in smaller turbines,
smaller diameter exhaust piping and smaller diameter
tubes in the air cooled condenser.
40 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
Better for air-cooled application
In locations where water is not available and air-
cooling is required, as is typical of compressor stations
sites, the ORC plant’s air-cooled condenser would be
much smaller and less expensive than an air-cooled
condenser for steam duty. This is a direct consequence
of the order of magnitude difference in volumes
between hydrocarbons (pentane) and steam.
No risk of freezing
Furthermore, since organic fluids have a low
freezing temperature, and so there is no freezing
in the condenser even at extremely low ambient
temperatures.
Condensing near atmospheric pressure
Hydrocarbons condense at higher pressure than
steam. By operating at near atmospheric condensing
pressures, the ORC turbine requires smaller blades,
fewer stages and the ingress of air into the system is
significantly minimized. The latter feature mitigates the
need for vacuum maintenance.
Not susceptible to freezing
Hydrocarbons freeze at temperatures below -73°C.
This allows the condenser to reject its heat at a
lower temperature than water-based systems and,
in doing so, increases output in cold weather. This
feature also eliminates the requirement to implement
procedures and controls to prevent freeze-up within
the condenser.
Figure 6 – Typical Temperature/Heat Transferred Diagram
High vapor turbine efficiency, no need for speed
reduction
Both the topping and bottoming of the turbine is a
multi-stage axial unit with impulse blading. The low
acoustic velocity of hydrocarbon fluids because of
higher molecular mass, compared to steam, provides
good aerodynamic matching at low rotational speed.
Isentropic efficiency of 89% is achieved at 1500 or 1800
RPM. This enables direct drive of generators without a
gearbox.
Moisture-free turbine expansion
Unlike steam, pentane remains dry during the
expansion from high to low pressure; a consequence
of the hydrocarbon’s thermodynamic properties.
This eliminates the possibility of moisture formation
and the likelihood of erosion damage when high
speed droplets collide with the turbine’s buckets and
nozzles. Thus, the ORC can accommodate part load
operation and large transients more effectively than
steam turbines, without requiring a super heater.
5. OPTIMIZING THE EFFICIENCY BY is now used in 17 gas compressor stations totaling
MATCHING THE CYCLE TO THE HEAT above 70 MW, another 2 are under construction. The
SOURCE first system installed in 1999, have already logged
90,000 hours of operation.
The maximum available energy produced as work
for electricity from any heat source is specified by the
second law of thermodynamics. Because the rate of
the sensible heat carrying fluid is finite its temperature
decreases as it transfers heat to the heat engine. Thus,
the overall process must be envisioned as a summary
of an infinite number of infinitesimally small engines.
Any heat exchange stage destroys availability [8] [9].
A temperature-heat transfer diagram (Fig.6) illustrates
the differences in the temperature drop between a
Steam Rankine Cycle and an Organic Rankine Cycle.
Because of the lower heat capacity of organic liquids
and their much smaller latent heat of vaporization,
these fluids lead to much smaller losses of availability
Figure 7 – Example of Installation at a Gas Compressor
in the utilization of the low or medium temperature
Station
predominantly sensible heat streams (Table 1).
Figure 8 – Heat and Mass Diagram
6. OUTLINE OF A TYPICAL REG FOR GAS Figure 8 is a heat and mass diagram, a typical system
TURBINE DRIVEN COMPRESSORS in operation on the Northern Border Pipeline providing
electricity to Basin Electric in North Dakota (Fig.9).
While steam technology used in combined cycle
plants to recover the residual heat from gas turbines
in central station electric utility plants is cost-effective
and in widespread use, the same cannot be said of
gas turbines installed in compressor stations. The 100
MW class, double or triple pressure steam bottoming
cycles, used in today’s utility-size combined cycle
plants, are far less suitable for compressor station
operation. First, the compressor station gas turbines
are about an order of magnitude smaller than
their utility counterparts. This leads to small steam
bottoming plants, whose capacity cost, in $/kW,
escalates rapidly as scale diminishes. Then there is the
issue of insufficient water supply (compressor stations
are often installed in very remote areas where in-situ
water sources normally do not exist) and third there
Figure 9 – 4 x 6.3 MW OECs at the Northern Border
is the issue of operating costs, where steam-licensed
Pipeline Company’s Natural Gas Pipeline, the Dakotas,
operators are very costly, on a per kWh basis, in small
USA
plant sizes. The Ormat Rankine Cycle using n-pentane
41 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL

In this utilization, the heat in the gas turbine exhaust
is used to heat DowThermTM Q, a synthetic organic
heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid is then used
to vaporize the organic working fluid, pentane, at high
pressure, in a secondary heat exchanger. The pentane
expands through a turbine-generator and condenses
in an ambient air-cooled condenser and recuperator.
This process requires a small amount of auxiliary
electricity to operate fans and pumps. The output of
this power plant depends on load of the Rolls Royce
RB211 gas turbine and on the ambient temperature as
show in Fig. 10 and Table 3.
Figure 11 – Power Generation from Waste Heat at
Heidelberg’s Cement Plant, Lengfurt, Germany
figure 10
Figure 12 – Power Generation from Waste Heat in a
Cement Plant
8. GEOTHERMAL POWER FROM HOT BRINE [11]
[12]
Ormat Rankine Cycle power generation
technology enables sustainable, cost effective, and
environmentally benign electricity generation from
geothermal resources. [13] [14]
Table 3 – OEC Net Output as a Function of Gas The primary considerations of this technology are:
Turbine Load
Diagram of Fig. 13 shows the key elements of a
power plant using spent brine from an existing steam
7. WASTE HEAT RECOVERY IN A CEMENT PLANT
geothermal plant. The temperature heat diagram
is shown in Fig. 4 when the brine inlet temperature is
Over the last two decades Ormat applied the basic
160°C. The plant produces 2.2 MW at an ambient
cycle described in Paragraph 2 to different applications
temperature 30°C.
matching the fluid and the cycle configurations to the
characteristics of the heat stream available from hot
The original features of such plants are:
exhaust gases, or hot geothermal brine and mixtures
of steam, water and non condensable gases. Main
• 100 percent re-injection of the geothermal fluid
examples are given.
and its component for fluid mass balance
• No surface discharge
• air cooling for nearly zero environmental
impact
42 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
Figure 13 – Air-cooled Binary Geothermal Power Plant
Figure 14 – 84 MW Steamboat Complex, Nevada, USA
9. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
1 MW REG, in addition to fuel savings, will annually avoid
the emission (at full load) of up to: 8000 Tons of CO2 12
Tons of NOX 50 Tons of SO2
10. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The Ormat Rankine Cycle configurations developed
and implemented in geothermal and heat recovery
applications have proven their adequacy in about
90 power plants worldwide totaling about 1200 MW
of capacity. The high reliability, low maintenance,
environmental benefits and load following characteristics
demonstrated the economics of the use of these plants
for waste heat recovery. In geothermal power plants they
have improved the efficiency of use of the resource and
their sustainability by 100% reinjecting of the fluids.
11. NOMENCLATURE
Binary Geothermal Power Plant – A power plant in
which the geothermal fluid provides the heat required by
the organic working fluid.
Energy Conversion – Conversion of one type of energy
to another such as the heat of a geothermal resource to
electricity, etc.
Geothermal Energy – Totally or partially renewable
heat energy from deep in the earth. It originates from
the earth’s molten interior and the decay of radioactive
materials, and is brought near the surface by deep
circulation of ground water.
Geothermal Resources – Sources of geothermal
energy: hydrothermal; geopressured; hot, dry rock (HDR);
and magma. All are suitable for heat extraction and
electric power generation.
HROH - Heat Recovery Oil Heater.
ISO Conditions - International Standard Organization
Conditions
MW - Mega Watt.
MWe - Mega Watt electric.
Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) – A Rankine cycle
operating with an organic liquid motive fluid (instead of
water). Renewable Energy – Energy source which is not
exhausted by use with time.
Renewable energies include direct solar energy,
energy from geothermal sources, wind, hydroelectric
plants, biomass, ocean energy, etc.
RH - Relative Humidity in %.
TS Diagram - Temperature Entropy Diagram
12. REFERENCES
[1] Wilson, S.S., and Radwan M.S., 1977 “Appropriate
Thermodynamics for Heat Engine Analysis &
Design”, Int. J. Mech. Eng. Educ., 5.
[2] D’Amelio, L., 1935, “Limpiego di Vapiri ad Alto
Peso Molccolre in Piccole Turbine”, Napoli..
[3] Tabor, H.Z., and Bronicki, L.Y., 1962, Patent
#3040528.
[4] Tabor, H., and Bronicki L.Y., 1961 “Turbine for Small
Solar Power Package”, UN Conference, New
Sources of Energy, Rome.
[5] Sternlicht, B, 1984, “Development and Prospects
for Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC’s) and Heat
Pumps”, Proceedings of the International
VDI-Seminar, Zurich.
[6] Bronicki, L.Y., 1994, “Innovative Geothermal and
Heat Recovery Power Plants Experience to Date”,
CEPSI, New Zealand.
[7] Bronicki, L.Y., 1972, “The Ormat Rankine Power
Unit”, IECEC, San Diego, USA.
[8] Bronicki, L.Y., “Organic Rankine Cycle
Configurations for Utilization of Low Temperature
Heat Sources”, ASME Proceedings of ESDA 2008.
[9] Bronicki, L.Y., 2002, “Geothermal Power Stations”,
Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology,
Third Editions, 6, Academic Press, San Diego.
INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 43
 one generator is a time-consuming
task; a project site with thirty to forty
generators on it will require the
contractor to purchase trucks and
staff simply for refuelling. Therefore,
the use of rental specialist who
includes refuelling in the rental
package can be an attractive
option for customers.
Another factor in the rental
versus purchase argument is the
element of human capital. All
major equipment purchases will
require employees to run the new
equipment, either by allocating
existing staff to the project, or
by hiring new employees. If a
utility does not have employees
available with the technical
knowledge to run the equipment
Rental Power in the Caribbean
they may be forced to hire new
staff. This means that the use of a
company which provides turn-key
rental services can be invaluable to
K
nown for its natural beauty and warm weather, the Caribbean is renowned as a tourist haven, bringing a utility which requires equipment
in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to enjoy the sandy beaches and azure waters of the but simply doesn’t have the skilled
Caribbean Sea. Few visitors give any thought to the utilities who operate on the islands, providing power and experienced staff to operate
to everything from hotels and restaurants to dive shops and cinemas, but ensuring reliable power for small it.
islands is a task with many challenges, as the utility providers in the region can attest.
At times it is tempting for utilities to
Although the islands vary in size, the challenges faced by the utilities in operating isolated grid systems for try to save money by minimizing
relatively small populations are similar. Limited economies of scale, lack of financing and environmental the number of staff they require
concerns are some of the issues that are faced by Caribbean utility companies as they seek to provide power for operating the equipment,
to residents and tourists, as well as expanding their industrial bases and attracting investors to the region. however, this short-term solution
often leads to greater problems
Faced by these challenges, many Caribbean utilities, as a part of the diversification of their energy portfolios, in the long run. Heavy equipment
are choosing to rent rather than purchase power generation equipment. There are many advantages to using such as generators require regular
power rentals: renting power generation equipment eliminates the need for capital expenditure on equipment, servicing and maintenance
incurs no large down payments or interest costs and preserves borrowing capacity. In addition, power rental in order ensure that they are
guarantees fixed and regular payment schedules over an agreed term with options to extend the rental period operating a peak efficiency; a
if required which improves cash flow and allows for more accurate budgeting. poorly maintained generator will
have greater fuel consumption,
higher emissions and may even
Hidden Costs and Human Capital break down entirely, negating any
cost benefits that may have come
When making the decision between purchasing and renting equipment, it is important for utility companies from reducing the number of
to evaluate the decision in light of the many hidden costs that are incurred when equipment is purchased. technicians working on a project
Insurance is one item which is often overlooked by utilities looking to purchase power packages. In addition, site. Through a rental provider,
there are many spare parts and ancillary items that need to be purchased regularly to ensure that the
equipment is able to operate. Not only do items such as spare parts need to be purchased, but they also
all service and maintenance is
included in the rental package,
require storage space to house them. With a rental solution, all spares and ancillary items are the provision of ensuring that the equipment is
the rental provider, enabling the customer to budget more effectively. always running at peak efficiency.
Refuelling is an additional cost which is often forgotten when the decision is made to buy equipment. Refuelling
44 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL
Case Study:
Bonaire Island
In November 2007, a consortium of
Dutch and German environmental
companies called EcoPower
Bonaire BV reported that they
had been awarded a contract by
Bonaire’s power utility, Water en
Energie Bedrijf Bonaire, (WEB) to
build and to operate a technically
advanced sustainable wind/diesel
power plant. As a part of phase
one, EcoPower BV installed a
330 kW Enercon E-33 wind power
turbine on the south east of Bonaire
Island at Sorobon. The new turbine
replaced an obsolete wind turbine
that had not been used since 1996.
The installation of the E-33 wind
turbine commenced in early 2007
and the turbine was commissioned
in May 2007.
Increasingly, power rentals are
playing more of a strategic role in
the planning processes of power
utilities as they strive to maintain
the essential power supplies to
their customers at all times. In this
instance, a power rentals solution
was employed during a ‘planned
outage’ by Bonaire’s power utility
WEB so that the island’s population
and its businesses would not
suffer in any way. A rental power
contract was awarded to Aggreko
for the turn-key provision of a 15
MW power package.
Aggreko generators are provided
in containerised units which each
provide 1250 kVA of power; by
linking the generators together,
the company can provide large-
scale power projects. For Bonaire,
Aggreko provided power at
two locations on the island and
utilised WEB’s existing transmission
and distribution system to deliver
the required power together
with surplus power for back-up.
By splitting the power into two
separate packages, Aggreko was
able to effectively manage the
power factor as well as stabilising
the voltage across the island.
And by utilising a rental power
solution as a part of their project
plan for a complete power
package upgrade, WEB was able
to concentrate their efforts on
constructing and commissioning
a ground-breaking new power
system.
Power on Demand
Bonaire is not the only Caribbean
utility which is choosing to use
Aggreko’s rental power solutions
as a part of their energy strategy.
In 2008, the company provided a
10 MW power package to Antigua
and Barbuda, which helped to
alleviate load shedding on the
islands. Currently, Aggreko is
operating a 17 MW power project
in Curacao and a 10 MW project
in St. Kitts and most recently, the
company has signed a 100 MW
contract to provide rental power
to Panama.
With the recent economic
downturn having resulted in a
greater emphasis on keeping
capital available and with rental
providing benefits such as lowered
capital expenditure, flexibility and
risk management, the option of
renting as opposed to purchasing
equipment is becoming a viable
consideration to utitlies across
the world. And although the
question, ‘Is it better to buy or to
rent’, will continue to be asked
by utilities contemplating large
equipment purchases, many will
likely find themselves deciding that
ownership may not be worth the
hassle.
For more information:
Regional Office for the Caribbean
+1.281.848.1400
Hub for the Americas +507.340.9610
aipp@aggreko.com
 Wärtsilä’s large reciprocating diesel and gas engines
have, during the last decade, undergone a generation
change in terms of control, whereby mechanical and
hydraulic devices have gradually given way to electronics
and software. Unique in many aspects, the Wärtsilä Unified
Controls (UNIC) system introduces the only truly flexible
and fully scalable control solution for large reciprocating
diesel and gas engines. UNIC is a set of controls that are:

• Reliable – featuring system redundancy which

provides a high fault tolerance level electrically
and mechanically

• Ready when delivered – featuring a complete

engine control concept with fast and
predictable installation on site

• Cost efficient – featuring low total cost of

ownership

• Capable and flexible – featuring design • A common interface with integrated

for Wärtsilä’s engines, but due to its cutting automation systems for engines, pipe modules,
edge technology and flexibility it can be feeder/boosters and other related machinery
adapted also to non-Wärtsilä engines equipment.

• Direct replacement for WECS – featuring direct • Real time diagnostics for trouble shooting and
replacement for WECS controls (2000, 3000, accurate time-stamping for cause and effect
8000) analysis.

UNIC is cost-efficient and flexible • “Hot swapping” and auto configuration of

The future of engine control is here today
The operation of modern 4-stroke machinery installations is operate. They have alerts that indicate whenever systems,
largely dependent upon advanced embedded electronic like sensors and EM stop solenoids fail as well as backup
control. This is true not only for obvious engine types, such as systems as an essential safety component.
the spark ignited (SG) and dual-fuel (DF) gas engines and
the common rail (CR) engines, but also for conventional The damage caused by the failure of safety systems due
mechanical diesel engines and their auxiliary equipment. to a lack of maintenance can be serious, not only in
All are today benefiting from advanced control for safety, technical terms, but also from a business perspective.
supervision and performance. Wärtsilä Unified Controls If existing electrical or pneumatic systems, for example,
(UNICTM) provides a reliable electronic control system for are not modernized or replaced in time, it will become
rugged industrial automation needs. increasingly more difficult / expensive to obtain spare parts
for older systems as research and development continues
When you have made a substantial investment in a power to produce new generations of electronic equipment
plant or a marine installation, it goes without saying that (and spare parts).
you want your installation to work properly and generate
revenue for your business. To keep the installation running Ultimately, therefore, the cost of renewing your control
smoothly you need to be able to control and monitor system is negligible compared to the cost that any
how the engines operate. Preferably that would be done damage will cause by taking your engine out of operation.
through some type of automation system. Power plant owners’ requirements for performance
and functionality have been on the increase for quite a
The environment in which automation systems operate while. With “smart” control, it is possible to measure and
is normally harsh, with vibration and high temperatures control engines better, faster and with less equipment
causing systems to degenerate. The older the system, than ever before. The possibilities offered by smart control
therefore, the more necessary it is for it to be frequently are also continuously evolving, allowing more data to be
checked, which can be a time‑consuming, labour- retrieved from the same measurements as before, better
intensive task. performance achievements from the same actuators,
and more logical and simpler ways for the operator to
Modern systems, on the other hand, have self-check handle the installation.
facilities, require less maintenance and are easy to
INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 46
Reliability has been the fundamental design requirement
for the UNIC system. However, in order to support different
applications and usage, the flexibility and scalability of
the system are also very important. These not only allow
the system to be applied to all types and sizes of engines,
but also allow the use of the rugged embedded control
in related applications, depending on need. This is also
reflected in the system name, UNIC, Unified Controls, where
a unified embedded control platform is emphasized. The
total system concept for UNIC is built on the following
“blocks”: hardware, software, functionality, sensors and
actuators, interfaces, maintenance, configuration and
validation.
For 4-stroke diesel engines in power plants, this flexibility
is then translated into automation products in a scalable
way. The levels of flexibility are divided into a basic level
for liquid fuel gensets, an extended level for liquid fuel
plants and an advanced level for SG/DF plants.
Different engine applications are covered by different
system variants, UNIC C1 (basic), C2 (extended) and C3
(advanced), with the hardware, software and functionality
scaled accordingly. The same features as used in the
basic systems are also reused in the more complex ones.
In order to achieve this scalability, the system is bus-based,
where functionality can easily be added, and the system
extended to cover more complex demands.
The UNIC system is not applicable to engine controls
only, but is widely applicable to rugged applications.
Advantages of the integrated approach include:
control modules that reduce the system’s off-
line time to a minimum.
• Common spare parts, common tools,
common service personnel, training etc.
• Flexibility in the technology used.
Reliability is the leading star
For demanding applications like industrial power
generation, reliability is an obvious requirement. Reliability
is commonly associated with fundamentals such as safety
and the commercial feasibility of the operation. Reliability,
however, also impacts other factors such as ease of use,
service schedules, skill requirements, and so on, with far
reaching consequences.
UNIC was designed with the sole purpose of providing
excellent reliability, even during the most extreme
conditions. This is an essential element in meeting the
demands of challenging industrial environments. This
reliability is achieved by using some rather unique designs
and solutions that are not readily available elsewhere.
One example is the sensors. Sensors, being relatively
inexpensive and available off the shelf, are often
somewhat neglected when designing engine control
systems. In practice, however, the reliability of the sensor
is extremely important to the system. This is partly due to
the number of sensors on an engine, but also because the
sensors are typically mounted in difficult locations and are
frequently in direct contact with hot surfaces, vibrating
components, and aggressive chemicals.
INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 47
 The standard solution for all diesel engine driven power plants is the embedded monitoring as provided by
the extended level of the UNIC C2 system, where fault tolerant safety functions guarantee the system’s high
availability, while simultaneously providing proper protection. Advanced signal diagnostics avoid spurious
false alarms, while alerting the operator to possible failures in, for example, the sensors. The extended level is
designed for a highly automated system control with WOIS (Wärtsilä Operator’s Interface System) and WISE
(Wärtsilä Information System Environment) systems. This could typically be used in applications with the Wärtsilä
32 and Wärtsilä 46 engines.

On a common rail diesel engine or gas engine, the advanced level of the UNIC C3 system provides optimal
performance with advanced control algorithms for the fuel injection. Algorithms adapting to existing fuel
properties, multiple maps for various fuels for example, direct cylinder pressure analysis, and functions such as
split injection, allow these engines to deliver the utmost performance possible. The UNIC C3 system also contains
advanced diagnostics that easily detect upcoming failures on components such as gas valves or fuel injectors,
and which analyze the combustion process and engine behaviour. This ensures that engine performance is
maintained, even in varying conditions. The advanced level is designed for a highly automated system control
with WOIS and WISE systems. This could typically be used in applications with the Wärtsilä 34SG, Wärtsilä 32DF
and Wärtsilä 50DF engines.

Operation and maintenance

The UNIC system is a flexible buildup of multiple components. In its simplest form, the system will provide safety
and monitoring functions. Additional components can be added to include engine management, or in its most
advanced state, we can provide electronic combustion control.

When evaluating sensor failures, it is clear that one of the main causes is actually not the sensor itself, but rather the If a customer installs a UNIC system today, and at a later date decides to upgrade the engine and requires
connector mounted on the sensor. In UNIC, all the sensors have been redesigned for utmost reliability by removing combustion control, this module can easily be added to the existing UNIC system. UNIC modules include:
the connector, and using a fixed attached cable instead. This cable, known as a flying lead, connects directly to
the electronics. As a result of this design, the reliability of the numerous sensors on the engine has been significantly
• Power Distribution Module (PDM) • Engine Safety Module (ESM)
improved.
• Main Control Module (MCM) • Local Control Panel (LCP)
Other components that heavily influence reliability are the connectors and cables. So called wire harnesses with a lot • Local Display Unit (LDU) • Input/Output Module (IOM)
of connectors, unshielded wires, and numerous fragile plastic parts, as commonly used in the automotive industry for
example, are not used. Instead, the wiring concept is based on rugged point-to-point cables that are very robust and • Combustion Control Module (CCM) • Speed Controller (MCM-10)
easy to repair and replace in the field.
Standardized components across the
Reliability is also a result of proper design and mounting of the electronics. By using over specified electronics with whole Wärtsilä portfolio means streamlined
integrated diagnostics, mounted on vibration dampers in metallic junction boxes, the lifetime of the electronics can spare parts logistics, while guaranteeing
meet even the most stringent requirements. that spare parts are available immediately
all over the world. The same spare parts
As large diesel or gas engines typically are in operation some 8,000 hours per year for 20 to 30 years, it is clear that the are relevant to different Wärtsilä products,
expected lifetime for the electronic components will also need to be quite long. For UNIC components, a lifetime of at thus minimizing stock requirements,
least 50,000 operational hours is the estimated target. while the common system design allows
operators and maintenance personnel to
efficiently service any type of Wärtsilä unit.
Performance through three concepts
With the standardized design, it is also easy
The performance of modern diesel and gas to modify installed engines for, among
engines installed in power plants is heavily other things, different types of fuels, as
dependent upon advanced electronic market demands require. In addition to
controls. Even conventional diesel engines new engines, it is also possible to retrofit
benefit from the advanced electronic older engines with different UNIC variants
speed control provided by the basic level when the need for modernization arises,
of the UNIC C1 system. The UNIC C1 system thereby also bringing the same UNIC
is also available with an integrated start/ system benefits to an existing engine base.
stop system, minimizing the external systems
needed for engine operation. The basic The advanced bus-based communication
level concept works very well in e.g. stand- to UNIC C2 and C3 engines also allows good opportunities for increasing operating efficiency, since remote
by applications or in-line engine projects. A supervision with, for example, accurate time-stamping features, is readily available. The engines are also ready
typical application could be with a Wärtsilä for direct connection to the Wärtsilä condition based maintenance (CBM) system, and support also remote
20 and Wärtsilä 32 L engines, and Wärtsilä 20 access from the maintenance tool, allowing tuning and fault tracing - even via a remote connection. CBM
power skid/container solutions. extensions to machinery are also available.

48 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL | 49

 So to conclude this we can state that UNIC is a
distributed and bus based system that provide
monitoring and control functions placed close to the
point of measurement and control. Both the on and
off engine wiring is significantly simplified. Advanced
functions in the system, for example, diagnostics
and control, provides outstanding performance
and reliability, so the need for off engine systems is
significantly reduced. UNIC meets even the highest
requirements for reliability, with selective redundancy
and fault tolerant designs.

With unmatched power, the UNIC system provides an

UNIC’s unique position
UNIC has a unique position in the market for
embedded controls. The system, which has been
gradually introduced on Wärtsilä 4-stroke engines
since 2005, is robust – providing many years of service
in demanding conditions, as well as being flexible and
scalable for use in any type of application. The system
not only provides new engines with better control,
higher performance, and increased reliability, it also
supports both old and new installations during the
full lifecycle. It offers opportunities to follow market
demands for fuel flexibility, increased efficiency, and
optimal operations and service. The system flexibility
also allows for streamlining, not only on the engine, but
also, for example, of the total machinery installation.
Wärtsilä now has several hundred UNIC systems in
actual operation around the globe and that number
continues to grow every month. The system has
proven to offer remarkable reliability. Nearly all new
Wärtsilä engines rolling off our production lines are
using the UNIC platform and we have trained Field
Service Engineers in all parts of the world to support
the system.
The new system has got a very positive reception also
in the Caribbean. Many power plant owners have
inquired about the system and the advantages it
offers. Presently we are in the midst of installing several
systems in Jamaica. Installations are underway also
in the United States, e.g. at a generating facility in
central Texas.
unbeaten performance for engine control. Modern
control provides high engine output, low emissions,
high efficiency as well as steady and rapid load
acceptance.
WÄRTSILÄ® is a registered trademark.
Captions in order of appearance:
1. Wärtsilä is concepting a new type of power
plant control rooms.
2. The Wärtsilä Unified Controls – UNICTM provides
a unique scalability for engine applications.
3. Pressure-transmitters and pressure-switch are
installed on the concerned main pipe. This
reduces the risk of signal failures and the
number of pipes on the engine.
4. General machinery control concept based
on the UNIC technology.
5. The Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy offers
electrical and automation training for power
plant operators.
6. The combustion controle module mounted on
engine side.

About the author:

The author Rainer Ahlvik is presently Business Writer/Editor for Wärtsilä Corporation, Services. He
started in 1993 within the internal communications department of Wärtsilä Finland Oy. In 2002 he
moved to the Services headquarters to take up a position as Web Editor for both internal and
external purposes within the Marketing and Communications department. And now for about
one year he has the position of Business Writer/Editor for both external and internal purposes. The
educational degree of Rainer Ahlvik is Master of Arts from the University of Vaasa in Finland.

50 | INDUSTRY JOURNAL