Julian Ford Joins Altaaqa Global as Chief Commercial Officer

With over 15 years of experience in the rental power industry, Ford takes the helm of the company’s strategic business development and top-line revenue generation functions

Altaaqa Global, a leading global provider of large-scale temporary power services, has appointed energy industry veteran, Julian Ford as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective July 1, 2015. As the company’s CCO, Ford’s remit is to ensure that Altaaqa Global achieves revenue growth targets and overall commercial success, and to facilitate the formulation and implementation of innovative global commercial strategies.

Julian Ford, Chief Commercial Officer of Altaaqa Global

Ford’s career in the industry started at the time when the concept of power plants on a rental basis was just gaining ground. He had a hand in introducing the concept of power project rental to governments of developing economies, which allowed them to hire power capacity to address short term energy issues during times of hydropower shortage or other generation or transmission issues.
Ford was instrumental in taking the rental power concept to different regions across the globe, including Middle East and Africa, South America, East Asia and South Asia. “My vision then,” he said, “was for the rental power market to develop beyond its traditional local markets and become a truly global business. We started in the Middle East and East Africa and quickly expanded our operations in other regions of the world.”

A true visionary, Ford led the way for the development of the gas-fueled temporary power equipment market in the mid-2000s. “At that time,” explained Ford, “diesel costs were rapidly rising, and it was imperative to diversify the product offering and capitalize on the growth of natural gas reserves.” With keen interest in markets where gas reserves were not vast enough to be commercially developed, Ford pioneered a new business model that allowed countries to monetize their ‘stranded gas’ reserves to generate useful low-cost electricity for the national grid.

Ford welcomes the challenge of his new role, as he recognizes the continuous evolution of the rental power industry. “The role of temporary power has evolved from being a local, short-term, transactional activity to a major global project-based industry,” said Ford, and added that it is no longer uncommon to see power plants of 100 MW and up being rented on a longer-term basis. “Our objective is to create a highly skilled, motivated and experienced, world-class, power projects team. My vision is for Altaaqa Global to lead the evolution of the industry, and to be recognized as the premier source of innovative technical solutions and the highest level of customer service and support.”

About Altaaqa Global
Altaaqa Global, a subsidiary of Zahid Group, has been selected by Caterpillar Inc. to deliver multi-megawatt turnkey temporary power solutions worldwide. The company owns, mobilizes, installs, and operates efficient temporary independent power plants (IPP’s) at customer sites, focusing on the emerging markets of Sub-Sahara Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Latin America, South East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Offering power rental equipment that will operate with different types of fuel such as diesel, natural gas, or dual-fuel, Altaaqa Global is positioned to rapidly deploy and provide temporary power plant solutions, delivering electricity whenever and wherever it may be needed.
http://www.altaaqaglobal.com

About Zahid Group
Zahid Group represents a diverse range of companies, offering comprehensive, customer-centric solutions in a number of thriving industries. Some of those include construction; mining; oil & gas; agriculture; power, electricity & water generation; material handling; building materials; transportation & logistics; real estate development; travel & tourism; waste management & recycling; and hospitality.
http://www.zahid.com

PRESS INQUIRIES
Altaaqa Global
Tel: +971 56 1749505
rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

What can be done to maximize power plant efficiency?

In 2050, the United Nations predict that there will be 9.6 billion people in the world. The steep rise in the world’s population brings about a proportionate increase in the demand for electricity, and in the face of today’s power-related challenges, the question on people’s lips is “How else can the world’s existing energy facilities sustain such a vast power requirement?”

Nowadays, various governmental, quasi-governmental and utility-related entities have been making inroads into tapping the potential of renewable energy sources to support the power generation capacity of existing power plants. Efforts are being driven to enhance available renewable energy technologies, with the aim of having them produce amounts of power at par with the traditional ones. Myriad reports show that various installations have been successful, with some countries, particularly in Africa, embracing renewable technologies as one of their main sources of electricity for domestic consumption.

Another plausible contributor to the enhancement of the world’s electrical energy generation is increasing the efficiency of existing power plants. There are several strategies that operators can employ in order to optimize the performance of electricity generation facilities. Raising the level of the operational efficiency of power plants will not only improve their electricity production, but will also heighten their environmental friendliness.

Experts agree that having an advanced flow measurement system installed may help ensure that a power plant runs efficiently. It is important that power plant engineers measure the capacity at which a facility is running at a particular point in time to be able to ascertain how much longer they will need to operate generators and turbines to maintain the efficiency of the power plant. An equipment that engineers can use in measuring operational data is a flow meter, which determines the amount of liquid or gas in a specific area at a given time.

Power plant operators, they add, may also choose to employ technologies, such as fluidized bed combustion and integrated gasification technology to improve the efficiency of existing power plants. The mentioned systems have the capability to reduce CO₂ emissions from coal by 25%, which would result in a 6% reduction in global CO₂ emissions.

Fluidized bed combustion, on the one hand, provides a flexible method of electricity generation while being environmentally friendly, reducing SO_X and NO_X emissions by a remarkable 90%. This system gives power plants the leverage of using coal waste as an energy source, which would otherwise be discarded. 

Integrated gasification combined cycle, on the other hand, is a process which entails the conversion of heavy oil and refinery bottoms into a fuel known as synthesis gas (syngas) and then use this to produce electricity in a gas turbine combined cycle system. As of the moment, the technology is being further developed, and industry players say that once the system is even more stable, it can have a pronounced impact on several allied industries.

In addition to enhancing electricity production, power plant engineers may also look at reducing the amount of energy used in the power facilities themselves to maximize the level of electricity reaching the grid. According to industry studies, a traditional power plant uses seven per cent of its own electrical output to operate its systems. Experts ascribe the majority of energy consumption in power plants to the motors that run pumps, mills, fans and auxiliary systems. Therefore, they say, one of the possible remedies to the foregoing predicament is to employ an integrated solution that combines variable speed drives (VSDs) with efficient motors. This way, the energy that was previously wasted can be sold to the grid, or the fuel lost generating it can be saved.

There are several other ways that by which power plant professionals can improve the efficiency of their facilities. These methods, combined with the efforts key industry stakeholders are exerting towards enhancing alternative energy sources, can prove to be vital in sustaining the world’s ever-increasing demand for precious electricity. As the energy fraternity braces for the expected sharp rise in power requirement in the coming decades, harnessing the potential of several feasible sources, traditional and renewable, to name two, will be of utmost essence. Energy professionals should keep in mind to always maintain and update power generation facilities, as a momentary loss of power, load shedding, electricity outage or blackout may lead to catastrophic economic, social and political consequences.

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Robert Bagatsing

Altaaqa Global

Tel: +971 56 1749505

rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

Altaaqa Global Opens Office in Southern Africa

The new Johannesburg office will serve as a hub for Altaaqa Global’s sales and operations in the Southern African region.

Dubai-based Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power, a global provider of temporary power solutions, has recently opened a new branch in Johannesburg that will cater to several countries in Southern Africa, including the Republic of South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The new Johannesburg office will serve as a hub for Altaaqa Global’s sales and operations in the Southern African region

Altaaqa Global will bring its expertise, innovative technologies, industry-proven reliability and rapid deployment to the region, which is largely known for its thriving oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, and mineral and coal mining industries. Peter den Boogert, General Manager of Altaaqa Global, said that we would provide Southern Africa with the most advanced power plant packaged systems, remote monitoring, and fuel-efficient gas, diesel or dual-fuel-powered generators. “Altaaqa Global and its sister company in Saudi Arabia have a total combined fleet of 1,400 MW rental power plant generation readily available to serve the Southern African region.”

One of the flagship innovations that Altaaqa Global will offer, he added, was the flexible operational mode that can switch from island to grid mode in just seconds. Furthermore, Altaaqa Global’s energy rental dynamic package allows its power plants to hook directly to the grid without the need for a substation.

The global outlook for the rental power industry has been encouraging, and Steven Meyrick, Board Representative of Altaaqa Global, sees merit in capitalizing on it through strategic market and geographic expansion. “With this recent feat, we believe that we are on our way to fulfilling, even exceeding, the highly ambitious objectives we set at the launch of our company in 2012.” Meyrick added that Altaaqa Global would continue to pursue multi-megawatt independent power projects (IPP) in various industries, in addition to heavily investing in human resources, process and business optimization, and product expansion.

In line with its avowed corporate social responsibility programs that aim to alleviate the social needs of its immediate environs, Altaaqa Global will also continue to provide job opportunities, extend immediate assistance for school children, and conduct educational campaigns on energy conservation and environmental stewardship in Southern Africa. Meyrick continued, “One of the pillars of our sustainable business model is employing and training local professionals in areas where we operate, and we are excited to extend that commitment to Southern Africa.”

Majid Zahid, Strategic Accounts Director of Altaaqa Global, said, “Southern Africa has a promising economic outlook within the energy, engineering, production, oil and gas, and mining sectors, and we are delighted to open our new office in Africa to provide our wide range of highly innovative interim power plants. We are determined to serve various industries, such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, mining, electric power utilities, industrial manufacturing and maritime.”

Altaaqa Global has been aggressively making inroads into the African market with the opening of branch offices in several key locations in the continent. “We have also recently opened an office in East Africa,” said Den Boogert, “and have appointed a highly competent management team to oversee our African operations.” He shared the information that Hendrick Mtemeri, a power distribution veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the power utility industry, has been appointed as the Regional Director for the entire Sub-Saharan region, and Paul Heyns, a power equipment engineering expert based in Pretoria, and Oduor Omolo, power generation professional based in Nairobi, have been appointed as Sales Managers for Southern Africa and East Africa, respectively. “Under their leadership, we will reinforce our presence in Africa and ensure that we stay close with our customers.”

The economy of Southern Africa is largely driven by the precious stone, mineral and coal mining industry. The Republic of South Africa, a leading economy in the Southern African region, is ranked as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank, and is touted to be the largest African economy ahead of Nigeria. Though still reeling from the effects of its recent economic setbacks, the African Economic Outlook expects South Africa's economy to moderately accelerate in 2014. Angola's economy, after experiencing slow growth due to the recent oil and financial crises, is also predicted to be on the rebound, expected to grow by 7.8% in 2014. Furthermore, Mozambique's economy is forecast to maintain its upward trend, predicted to grow by 8% in 2014. Agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas, in addition to mineral and coal mining, significantly contribute to the countries’ GDP, as well as to their employment rates.

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About Altaaqa Global

Altaaqa Global, a subsidiary of Zahid Group, has been selected by Caterpillar Inc. to deliver multi-megawatt turnkey temporary power solutions worldwide. The company owns, mobilizes, installs, and operates efficient temporary independent power plants (IPP’s) at customer sites, focusing on the emerging markets of Sub-Sahara Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Latin America, South East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Offering power rental equipment that will operate with different types of fuel such as diesel, natural gas, or dual-fuel, Altaaqa Global is positioned to rapidly deploy and provide temporary power plant solutions, delivering electricity whenever and wherever it may be needed.

http://www.altaaqaglobal.com/press-media/press-releases

About Zahid Group

Zahid Group represents a diverse range of companies, offering comprehensive, customer-centric solutions in a number of thriving industries. Some of those include construction; mining; oil & gas; agriculture; power, electricity & water generation; material handling; building materials; transportation & logistics; real estate development; travel & tourism; and hospitality.

http://www.zahid.com/

PRESS INQUIRIES

Robert Bagatsing

Altaaqa Global

Tel: +971 56 1749505

rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

READER REQUESTS

Altaaqa Global

Marketing Department

P.O. Box 262989

Dubai, United Arab Emirates