APR Energy has installed and commissioned a 120MW natural gas-fired power plant for AES Dominicana in the Dominican Republic.
Image: APR Energy supplied four GE TM2500 mobile gas turbines to Dominican Republic. Photo: courtesy of APR Energy.
The new power plant comprises four GE TM2500 mobile gas turbines, said APR Energy, which provides fast-track power solutions.
According to the company, the gas turbine plant was assembled and ready for generating power within a month of signing of the contract.
The gas turbines, which have been connected to the AES Andres Energy Complex, will deliver supplementary power to the local grid.
AES Dominicana president Edwin De los Santos said: “We are greatly satisfied with the results achieved by APR and government authorities, as they were able to bring to our country – and install in just 30 days -the emergency units that will add 120MW to the existing system, all based on natural gas.
“Once installed, and after completing the testing period, these units will make AES Andres total capacity reach 255MW, in a time of the year that is so important for everyone: the Christmas season.”
In September 2018, the AES Andres Energy Complex, which is a 319MW combined cycle power plant, was affected by the electrical discharge caused by lightning, reported Dominican Today.
APR Energy chairman John Campion said: “When power grids suffer large-scale interruptions, speed-to-recovery becomes equally as critical as the reliability of the power being generated.
“There’s no time to waste when the unexpected occurs. Our team’s ability to work in partnership with the customer to assess power needs, develop customized solutions and generate power rapidly is unparalleled in the industry.”
After the unexpected outage, AES Dominicana could restore a portion of the power plant into operations but still needed additional power to help bring it back to full capacity. As a result, it was determined quickly that there was a need for supplemental power following which AES decided to deploy its resources to mitigate the shortage of electricity for the island.
Santos added that the utility is also working on phase 3 of a recovery plan, to enhance available capacity to 300MW within the proposed calendar, for early February 2019.