The expansion will see an addition of 14 of new gas engines, each with 4.41MW of capacity

Clarke Energy Alinta Energy Newman Power Station

Alinta Energy's gas-fired Newman Power Station to be expanded by Clarke Energy. (Credit: Clarke Energy.)

Clarke Energy announced that it has secured an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Alinta Energy to expand Newman Power Station in Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The contract includes the delivery of 14 Jenbacher J624 gas engines to improve the efficiency and flexibility of the power generation facility.

Each of the engines will generate about 4.41MW, taking the total capacity of the power plant to 61.67MW.

Clarke Energy said that the 4.41MW engines are well suited for the plant, as they provide a combination of turn-down, efficiency and rapid load response needed for the plant to be integrated with solar.

The company claims to have over 7GW of Jenbacher generation equipment installed in its operational areas.

Alinta Energy merchant energy executive director Ken Woolley said: “Safety is number one for us and Clarke Energy has a solid track record of safely providing high quality solar and gas fired power integration solutions.

“Their technical expertise will also be critical to help us deliver on a very exciting program of work in the region.”

Clarke Energy will operate and maintain the facility

As per the contract, Clarke Energy will design and build two separate power houses. The cooling radiators will be mounted on the roof level to accommodate for the limited space constraints at the power station’s site.

The company will also supply a 66/11kV export transformer and complete brownfield integration with the existing 66kV substation.

After completing the power station’s construction, Clarke Energy, a KOHLER Company, will operate and maintain the facility on behalf of Alinta Energy under a long-term contract.

Clarke Energy managing director Greg Columbus said: “As an industry-leading EPC contractor and OEM Distributor for Jenbacher Gas Engines with a long history of delivering clean power solutions, we are very pleased to have been chosen to increase the reliability and efficiency of the Newman Power Station.

“The Jenbacher J624 high-speed, high-efficiency and dependable gas engine technology fits well with Alinta Energy’s need to provide reliable, efficient power while having minimal environmental impact. The completion of this project will increase the capacity of Jenbacher gas engines installed in the region to ~900MW.”