The Evolving Role of Temporary Power Plants

Temporary power plants are among the most popular solutions to provide electricity to communities, events, businesses and industries around the world. Temporary power plants can be quickly delivered, installed and powered on, and they do not require a huge capital expenditure on the part of the customer. They are efficiently managed and maintained by the engineers and technicians of the temporary power provider, and can be completely demobilized at the end of the contract.

It is easy to think of temporary power plants in short-term projects of a few megawatts, like in sporting events or concerts. But while temporary power providers cater to such requirements, their scope is more extensive than just “temporarily” providing electricity.

In recent years, the role of rental power plants has transcended being merely “temporary”. The industry is now witnessing projects with contracts of longer duration and of capacities that, at times, can make up a sizable fraction of the grid’s demand. Rental power plants are increasingly being utilized in baseload operation, and modern rental power plants are now able to perfectly integrate with the existing permanent power infrastructure. In certain applications, rental power generation technologies are supplying electricity to entire cities or provinces, or even countries, and are powering thousands of businesses and millions of people.

Rental power suppliers, like leading global rental power company Altaaqa Global Caterpillar Rental Power, are primed to serve projects with longer contract durations and of multi-megawatt capacities. They are able to cater to multi-year, larger-scale requirements from a wide range of industries, including utilities, oil & gas, mining, and manufacturing, to name a few. They are able to supplement a country’s grid capacity; provide on-site power for oil & gas and mining facilities; and supply electricity to process industries, for example.

Let us take a close look at utilities. Utility providers around the world partner with rental power providers for a variety of reasons. They seek the assistance of rental power suppliers when they need a speedy supply of supplemental electricity. Utility providers also collaborate with rental power companies in times of significant power supply constraint, like in hydropower-dependent countries or cities in times of drought or low-rain seasons. Utilities also avail of rental power services while waiting for permanent power plants to be completed, or when they are still in the process of raising capital for the construction of facilities or the expansion of existing grid supply. There are also utilities that hire power plants in times of seasonal shifts in electricity demand, for instance during summer.

On the other hand, mining and oil & gas facilities, being remote from the national grid, hire power plants to provide electricity at every stage of their operations throughout their lifetime. Rental power plants support the electricity needs of mining and oil & gas facilities from the nascent stages up to the most power-intensive processes. Thanks to the scalability of rental power plants, their capacities can be increased (or decreased) according to the needs of the sites.

Process industries, like consumer and industrial manufacturing, turn to rental power not only to provide electricity to their facilities during peak production season but also to ensure the reliable supply of electricity, especially in areas where load shedding is implemented and power outages are frequent. With rental power plants consistently power their operations, manufacturing companies can fulfill their production commitments and delivery obligations to their customers.

As the world’s economies grow, electricity demand will continue to increase and electrification efforts will only intensify. In recognition of this trend, rental power providers, like Altaaqa Global, are continuously working to further improve the technologies of their systems in order to cater a wider range of power requirements of varying contract duration and capacities.

If you have a multi-megawatt rental power requirement, talk to us to find out how our rental power plants can work for you. E-mail us at info@altaaqaglobal.com or at sales@altaaqaglobal.com. Alternatively, you can call us at +971 4 880 8006.

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The Top 5 Economic Benefits of Hiring Multi-Megawatt Power Plants

An increasing number of industrial companies and businesses around the world are looking for various means to streamline their operations, minimize operating costs and improve their bottom line, and at the same time maintain their competitiveness.

One area in their operation that industrial companies and businesses can optimize is their energy supply and usage. It is essential that industrial companies not only manage their power utilization and energy efficiency but also assess the cost of their principal electricity source, be it from the national grid or from their own power generation facility. This is particularly critical for industrial companies operating in locations remote from the national grid, like manufacturing plants, mines, and oil & gas facilities. These companies should keenly evaluate the cost benefits of various available power supply solutions, among which are purchasing their own power generation facilities or partnering with a multi-megawatt temporary power provider.

There are several factors that come into play when choosing an appropriate power supply solution. Aside from cost, there are other considerations like timing, duration of requirement, availability of manpower and know-how, and associated servicing and maintenance. At first, investing in a proprietary power generation facility may seem optimal, but industrial companies and businesses need to closely evaluate the merits of all options available.

Here is a run-down of five of the most notable benefits of renting multi-megawatt power plants:

1. No need for large capital expenditure

When industrial companies and businesses choose to hire multi-megawatt rental power plants, they will avoid making large capital expenditure and will not be constrained to commit a significant amount of their company’s working capital to a fixed asset (in this case, a power plant). This proposition will improve their cash flow and facilitate their financial forecasting because they can pay for the rented electricity from their operating expenditure over a guaranteed payment schedule.

In addition, renting multi-megawatt temporary power plants offers the flexibility to increase or decrease the power capacity, or extend the rental period, if required.

2. Avoid associated costs

Industrial companies and businesses should be aware of the associated costs involved in purchasing a power plant. Among these are insurance, spare parts, and ancillary items, among others. These are unavoidable additional purchases they need to make to ensure that the power plant is efficiently working and delivering the desired amount of power.

In the case of rental power plants, all spares and ancillaries are taken care of by the temporary power provider, making budgeting and financial forecasting easier for industrial companies and businesses. Simply put, when hiring multi-megawatt power plants, everything related to operating and maintaining the plants is the responsibility of the power service provider so the customers can concentrate on running their businesses.

3. No need to hire new engineers or technicians

Power plants should be operated by skilled and trained engineers and technical professionals. In most cases, industrial companies and businesses purchasing their own power plant will also need to hire new staff members to run the power plant. Not only will this represent an associated cost, but hiring engineers and technicians to work in remote locations will have its own share of challenges.

This can be avoided by partnering with a reputable temporary power provider. Rental power companies, like Altaaqa Global Caterpillar Rental Power, have expert, Caterpillar-certified engineers and technicians who will take care of operating and maintaining the power plants throughout the duration of the contract.

In addition, they are also able to provide training to the customers’ own engineers and technicians so the latter can enhance their knowledge of power generation and be able to play vital roles in operating the customers’ own plants, if need be.

4. Complete demobilization

One other distinct benefit of hiring multi-megawatt power plants is that the plants can be completely demobilized when the need for power has passed or when the contract is finished. This means that there will be no customer-owned permanent power facility or equipment left that will require constant maintenance or servicing. This ultimately indicates that when the requirement for prime or supplemental electricity is finished, the expenditure associated with it also stops.

5. Complete power solutions

Rental power companies, like Altaaqa Global Caterpillar Rental Power, offer more than generators: They provide integrated energy solutions. From meeting the customers in order to precisely understand their requirements; to designing the power plants; delivering the required equipment at site; installing the power plants; commissioning, operating, maintaining and servicing them; training the customers’ own engineers and technicians; through to demobilization, multi-megawatt temporary power providers work to provide their customers 100% peace of mind so they can concentrate on growing their business.

Talk to us to find out how multi-megawatt temporary power plants can help you optimize your processes and solve your power supply challenges. E-mail us at info@altaaqaglobal.com or sales@altaaqaglobal.com. Alternatively, you can call us at +971 4 880 8006.


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How to Keep Engineers in Manufacturing Companies Engaged at Work

When engineers find their work environment motivating, they will continue to perform at their peak, and even surpass expectations

The role of engineers in manufacturing companies can never be understated. A manufacturing operation may involve engineers specializing in various fields, including product development, design & operation and electrical to name a few.

Product development engineers make ideas come to life. In companies like Apple, Samsung, or Microsoft, they are involved in turning concepts into actual products that consumers patronize and use.

Design and operation engineers design, develop and manage integrated systems for the production of high-quality products. These systems may include computer networks, robots, machine tools, and materials-handling equipment.

Electrical engineers make sure that the power supply in a manufacturing site is enough for the company to meet its production targets. This is of particular importance for industrial manufacturing businesses like ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Boeing or Airbus. They maintain the power infrastructure and facilities within the manufacturing plant, or liaise with temporary electric power suppliers in times when the factory needs additional power, say during peak production seasons, or when load shedding or peak shaving are implemented in the area.

Whatever the area of specialization is, engineers play highly essential roles in manufacturing facilities, and as such, it is important to keep them motivated at work and retain their services. While there is not a world of difference between what keeps engineers engaged at work and what it takes to do that for any other member of the organization, paying keen attention to the unique motivational needs of engineers can spell a huge difference.

Here are some things to take into consideration in keeping engineers motivated in manufacturing companies:

1. Allow them to be free, creative

Engineers value a strong sense of autonomy and the freedom to choose how to approach various issues at work. They appreciate if they are given the opportunity to creatively resolve engineering-related challenges at work. Based on our experience with our electrical engineers, they thrive on a results-driven environment, and appreciate having a degree of independence to perform at their best with minimal supervision and instruction. They are also stimulated by a work environment that promotes and rewards innovative thought.  

Courtesy www.gineersnow.com

2. They are not enticed by promotion

Okay, hold your horses. When I said that engineers are not enticed by promotion, I meant the type that follows a conventional progression across the company organization.

Courtesy www.gineersnow.com

Many engineers in manufacturing companies, like in India’s Tata Motors or Tejas Networks, may not be interested in traditional leadership positions, because they may not want to manage other employees or sit in the office for hours on end – they just want to keep building and developing products, and maintain the challenge and dynamism of a thriving engineering career. It is possible that promoting them to a traditional manager will suppress their creative engineering process, and this may dampen their motivation at work. For example, if a manufacturing company promotes an electrical engineer (who is actively engaged in installing, running and maintaining onsite power generation facilities) to a conventional manager (who will spend eight hours of his day preparing documents and responding to e-mails), then it is the running the risk of demotivating the previously-engaged engineer.

Having said this, if an engineer really deserves a promotion, then let it be to a position that is equally energetic and stimulating, that will still require his engineering creativity and ingenuity.

3. For engineers, learning is an ending journey (Kaizen)

Manufacturing companies hire engineers because of the latter’s mastery of what they do. While they may already be specialists in their own fields, engineers are always hungry to learn more and do more.

Courtesy www.gineersnow.com

Engineers flourish in environments where learning is a part of their daily life. As such, manufacturing companies should continuously offer them opportunities to improve on their skills and to apply new learnings through healthy challenges. Based on experience, our electrical engineers welcome specialized training courses on modern technologies and innovative methods, and situations that will require them to use the new knowledge that they have acquired. They also appreciate opportunities to mentor technicians or other engineers, because doing so helps them reinforce their engineering knowledge and, to a large extent, gives a deeper sense of purpose to their vocation as engineers.

4. Give them missions, not just projects

Engineers are driven by their desire to change the world. Most great engineers are motivated by working on big projects and by seeing the encompassing results of their hard work. Therefore, it is important that engineers in a manufacturing company realize the magnitude of the task given to them.

For example, it is essential that an electrical engineer in an industrial manufacturing facility, like Emirates Global Aluminium or Tata Steel, understands that without him performing his task, the plant will not have the power to produce goods, and as such the company will fail at providing its customers that products that they need. This will help him see the real-world impact of his responsibility within the production plant. The consciousness that his task has a meaningful effect to a great number of people and businesses will lead him to embrace his accountability and to value more his position within the company.

Courtesy www.gineersnow.com

5. Let them have fun

Engineering tasks within a manufacturing company can be daunting and can put a huge amount of pressure on engineers. It will not hurt to inject a bit of fun.

Courtesy www.gineersnow.com

It is, thus, important for manufacturing companies to encourage enjoyment and interaction at work. For example, they can organize a quarterly family day, when employees and their families can gather and enjoy a day at the park. They can also arrange a company lunch or dinner after a successful campaign or production season as a sign of appreciation of the employees’ work. They can also host an awards ceremony to recognize exemplary performance. A sports day is also a good idea to allow employees to unwind and engage each other in healthy competition.

Engineers represent an invaluable part of the overall success of a manufacturing business. Engineers possess an intellectual capacity and ability to generate innovation, and this is essential for manufacturing companies especially amidst escalating competition within an increasingly challenging market. The more that the management understands what drives the motivation of engineers, the better experience the engineering team will have in the manufacturing company. And the more encouraging their work environment, the bigger the chance that engineers will remain engaged at work, perform at their peak and surpass expectations.

For more information on the values that guide our operations and business & human resource practices, please visit: http://www.altaaqaglobal.com/about-us/about-altaaqa-global

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This article has previously been published on https://www.gineersnow.com/leadership/keep-engineers-manufacturing-companies-engaged-work


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How Much Do You Know About Renting Electricity?

You know that you can rent a car, a flat, or even songs and movies. But, have you heard about renting power?

Renting affords numerous advantages, particularly to transient users, or those that use a particular item for a limited period of time. Think about renting flats, cars, movies or costumes. When you don’t see yourself living in a city for a long period of time, will you still invest in buying a home? When you expect to sparingly use a car, will you still spend on acquiring one and shell out for servicing and maintenance throughout its lifetime? For someone who simply likes to watch a new movie and does not fancy collecting films, will it make more sense to rent it than to actually buy a copy of it? Would you like to wear that Dracula costume every year to a Halloween party? I guess not.

There are many things that you can rent, but have you any idea about renting electricity? Yes, electricity can be rented, and it is a viable solution to energize numerous communities around the world that still lack access to reliable electricity. So, how does that work?

Basically, when a power utility company, a manufacturing firm, a mine operator or a government chooses to rent electricity, what they actually get is a complete, temporary power plant, designed, tailored, delivered, installed, operated, managed and serviced by a temporary power provider. All the equipment are owned by the provider, and the customer does not have to nvest in anything related to capital. Similar to renting any other item, the customer only has to pay for the product or service while he is using it – or in this case, for the electricity generated during the contract. This means that the customer can simply pay for the services of the rental power provider from his OPEX or operational expenditure.

Rental power plants are unlike permanent power plants. They are made up of modular power equipment, generators, transformers and other ancillaries, and can be simply connected “plug-and-play”-style. Because of this, they can be easily delivered from and to anywhere in the world, and can be made operational within days. Customers need not wait for years or decades obtaining approvals, financing and waiting for the completion of construction. Remember when you rented a car? The car was ready and was immediately handed over to you, right? And when you rented a flat? Did you have to wait for years for the building to be built before you could move in? No. Upon making the first tranche of payment, the keys to the unit were readily given to you.

When the need for supplemental electricity passes, a rental power plant can be simply uninstalled and demobilized, of course, by the temporary power provider. This means that there will be no permanent infrastructure left behind that will need constant maintenance and servicing. Simply put, the utility provider, the mining company, the manufacturing firm or the government stops spending when the need for supplemental electricity is no longer there.

To summarize, here is an illustration of what is involved in renting electricity:

We said above that renting electricity is a perfect option for energizing communities around the world that still do not enjoy the benefits of reliable electricity. Turning to temporary power solutions is a fast, efficient, safe and cost-effective way to gain access to consistent electricity. As governments, utility providers and allied stakeholders implement long-term energy plans, temporary power plants, working alone or in tandem with other sources of electrical power, can urgently provide the required electricity anywhere and anytime it is needed. 

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Temporary Power: Keeping the Cold Chain from Breaking

The cold chain plays a vital role in the global production, trade and delivery of food and pharmaceutical commodities. The increasing market demand for safe, quality food and pharmaceutical products has heightened the importance of keeping them at the optimal temperature, from manufacturing to consumption. Food and pharmaceutical companies strive to ensure the integrity of their refrigerated products, yet real instances of temperature abuse along certain points of the cold chain threaten to compromise their safety and quality.

In the food industry, keeping products in refrigerated storage facilities is one of the most extensively practiced methods of controlling the growth of microbes in perishable or potentially hazardous foods. Although the microbial flora of food products is affected by many factors, the length of storage time and the temperature at which food commodities are kept have been proven to have the greatest impact on their safety and quality. Therefore, food manufacturing and storage companies, together with their allied entities like grocery stores and hypermarkets, have to constantly monitor and maintain the required temperatures throughout the food continuum – from processing to storage and distribution.

Over at the pharmaceutical front, manufacturers and health professionals around the world have striven to develop the pharmaceutical cold chain to ensure that critical medicines and vaccines, among other essential health-related requirements, are safely and readily available. Medical and pharmaceutical products, just like food, require constant temperature control throughout the production and distribution chain. Vaccines, for instance, are sensitive to both heat and cold, so they need to be kept at precise temperatures from manufacture to the point of use. Blood has to be properly refrigerated and stored to remain usable, while HIV rapid test kits, pediatric ARV drugs and other testing reagents must all be stored in climate controlled conditions to remain effective.

The real threat of power interruption and consumption limitation
The demand for electricity has been steadily increasing all around the world. Owing to the continuous growth in population, expansion of industrial activities and improvement in the standard of living, many countries have been seeing a remarkable spike in energy requirements, particularly during months of extreme temperatures and/or peak industrial production. While a surge in power demand may be indicative of an active and growing economy, it can rein in the economic and industrial progress of a country if the existing power infrastructure is not able to keep up with the electricity requirement – a scenario usually witnessed in emerging regions. When the electricity demand consistently outstrips the supply, power facilities may become overburdened, and, as a consequence, load shedding, electricity outage or total blackout may ensue.

The cold chain will be adversely affected by load shedding and regular power interruption. Without a constant and reliable supply of electricity, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities will find it challenging to maintain the optimal temperature required to deliver safe and quality products. Procedures carried out in the manufacture and storage of food and pharmaceutical products involve highly precise temperature requirements that even a momentary power outage will render an entire batch unsafe and unusable. When the quality and integrity of food and pharmaceuticals have been compromised, they will have to be disposed of than pose health risks to consumers, resulting in financial and operational losses in the area of millions of Dollars.

Food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities have attempted to lobby for the exemption of their industries from load shedding or peak lopping. However, in light of a highly limited power supply, governments and utility providers have found it difficult to grant them their request, since any additional power supplied to the food and pharmaceutical industry would be at the expense of households or other industries.

Several food and pharmaceutical entities have endeavored to work around the problem by employing local electricity generation systems within their facilities. Unfortunately, the local power sources were not always able to sufficiently produce for the extent of the production load, and are thus incapable of supporting the operations of large-scale manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities.

Instances of load shedding, power interruption or consumption limitation can occur at any time, hence food and pharmaceutical facilities will need large-scale supplemental or back-up power systems that will be able to generate the required electricity at any given moment. They will find benefit in employing power generation systems that will seamlessly supply power to their industrial operations as soon as the electricity from the grid is interrupted, so temperature abuse at any point of the cold chain can be averted. When the safety and integrity of food and pharmaceuticals are ensured, consumers will be spared from health risks, and companies will be able to run operations as usual and avoid losing millions in revenue.

The benefits of rental power to the cold chain
When the power supply is unstable, and when instances of power interruption are unpredictable, food and pharmaceutical companies can find huge benefits in espousing a proactive stance and hiring the services of temporary power providers. Electricity plays an undeniably vital role in the climate control of production, storage and distribution facilities, and rental power plants can provide the necessary electricity without the need for food and pharmaceutical companies to spend scarce CAPEX. Instead of pouring a sizeable initial investment in permanent power infrastructure (which can take several years to complete) or in local power generation systems (which cannot always guarantee the precise amount of electricity required by large-scale facilities), food and pharmaceutical companies can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants from their operating revenues. During peak production seasons, food and pharmaceutical companies will also be able to add power modules that will increase the rental power plant’s generation capacity.

The large-scale rental generators that make up the temporary power plant are modular and containerized, and can be rapidly delivered to and installed anywhere in the world, and can support the requirement of even the largest production, storage or distribution facilities. They are fully able to function even in remote locations, and in sites where traditional power infrastructure is outdated, damaged or absent.

The investment required to set up a rental power plant has been proven to be marginal compared to the cost of foregone opportunities, wasted man-hours, discarded products or lost lives.

Keeping the cold chain intact
The safety and quality of food and pharmaceutical products largely depend on the integrity of the cold chain. Instances of temperature abuse at any point of the cold chain could bring about serious health risks to consumers and calamitous financial and operational losses to food and pharmaceutical companies. In times of load shedding, peak lopping or unpredicted blackouts, rental power plants, either as a stand-alone solution or support to conventional or local power systems, can guarantee a reliable and continuous supply of electricity, so food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, storage and distribution can conduct business as usual.

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Altaaqa Global and Caterpillar Team Up to Power Cameroon and Empower Locals through Customer Development Program

The program through Caterpillar University helps solve Cameroon’s energy challenge while facilitating the transfer of engineering and advanced technical knowledge to local professionals at state-of-the-art 50 MW project

DUBAI – Altaaqa Global Caterpillar Rental Power, a leading global temporary power solutions provider, and Caterpillar Inc. have developed a solution to one of Cameroon’s biggest challenges: reliable energy access. This solution is not only about transferring power but also knowledge and prosperity across the African country.

In 2015, Altaaqa Global installed a 50 MW natural gas power plant in Cameroon’s most populous city, Douala, as an immediate solution to the city’s chronic electricity shortage. The power plant added reliable power to Cameroon’s grid, and provided its people and industries with a new, reliable source of electricity.

Just as important as the power was ensuring a local team of highly trained professionals was able to oversee the operation of the power plant. Altaaqa deployed Caterpillar University, Caterpillar’s proprietary training platform, to launch a Customer Development Program. The pilot program, which will continuously run for one year, is offered to a team of select local engineers and technical professionals from Altaaqa Global’s client Eneo, Cameroon’s integrated utility provider.

The Customer Development Program

One of the key pillars of Altaaqa Global's sustainable business model is extending employment and learning opportunities to local communities where it has projects, with the aim of enhancing their skills and transferring world-class industry knowledge to the local workforce.
To facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills to Eneo’s team of local engineers and professionals, Altaaqa Global launched a tailored customer training program, in cooperation with Caterpillar University.

The program features three methods of instruction: classroom teaching, online instruction and on-the-job mentoring with Altaaqa Global’s Cat-certified in-house technicians. To encourage a better understanding of technical concepts taken up in the classroom, Altaaqa Global enrolled the Eneo engineers in Caterpillar University, which features expert-curated modules on service, safety and equipment operation.

For the purposes of the program, Altaaqa Global’s training engineers designed a learning plan that included carefully selected modules available on Caterpillar University. Considering their relevance to the participants’ tasks at site and to the engines installed for the project, the trainers hand-picked specialized courses on Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) and Engineering Service.

At the end of the year-long program, subject to the completion of all necessary on-line modules and a satisfactory performance in the final evaluation, the participants will be awarded a Level 1 Preventive Maintenance (PM) Technician certificate, and will thus be eligible to progress to second-level training. Altaaqa Global will conduct the program on a continuous basis, such that the training will be offered to every new team of engineers and technical professionals from Eneo.

Commenting on the motivation behind the training program, Peter den Boogert, CEO of Altaaqa Global, said: “In all of our projects, we provide more than electricity; we offer training and employment opportunities to locals. In fact, 95% of our site employees in our projects around the world is composed of locals.”

A commitment to sustainable progress

The training program is in accordance with Caterpillar’s sustainability strategy, which aims, among others, to promote economic and social development in areas where it operates. The company believes that an effective way to encourage sustainable social and economic progress is to educate local professionals on globally recognized industry best practices.

Against this backdrop, Kim Hauer, Caterpillar Vice President with responsibility for the Human Services Division and Chief Human Resources Officer said: “At Caterpillar, we believe in empowerment through education and transfer of knowledge. So, we work together with our global dealers, like Altaaqa Global, to provide tailored customer training solutions. Such initiatives have been proven to enhance customer efficiency, global competitiveness and help deliver sustainable progress around the world.”

Commending Altaaqa Global’s customer development initiatives, Doug Oberhelman, Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc., said: “Altaaqa Global’s successful customer development program is a testament to the company’s commitment to support and improve the communities it serves. Altaaqa Global provides solutions that power and light the world.”

Mr. Fahad Y Zahid, Chairman of Altaaqa Global and Executive Vice President of the Zahid Group, avowed the company’s continued dedication to its mission of inspiring progress and prosperity to people, businesses and communities. “Since its inception, Altaaqa Global has looked beyond profit. We have always aimed to play an active role in spurring growth and progress not only by providing a reliable supply of electricity, but also by transferring knowledge to locals. We hope that the Customer Development Program yields a globally competitive workforce that will drive the continuous growth of Cameroon.”

Altaaqa Global and Caterpillar have produced a documentary video on the program, showcasing the effectiveness and benefits of Caterpillar’s tailored customer training solutions to dealers and customers all over the world. The video was premiered at the 2016 Africa Energy Forum in London, UK in late June, and was seen by energy ministers and other energy stakeholders from around the world.

Watch the video, here: https://youtu.be/8M5qA1Pz7Ys

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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

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

About Caterpillar Inc.
For 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent.  Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets.  With 2015 sales and revenues of $47.011 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.  The company principally operates through its three product segments - Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation - and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment.

http://www.caterpillar.com

About Eneo Cameroon S.A.
Cameroon’s long-term electricity operator, Eneo (formerly AES-SONEL) is a semi-public company with 56% shares owned by Actis Group and 44% by the State of Cameroon. Eneo has an installed generation capacity of 968 MW. Its transport network connects 24 substations and includes 1,944.29 km of high voltage lines, 15,081.48 km of medium voltage lines and 15,209.25 km of low voltage lines. Its distribution network consists of 11,450 km of lines of 5.5 to 33 KV and 11,158 km of lines of 220-380 kV. Eneo has more than 973,250 customers, of which approximately 45% live in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé. Eneo employs 3,698 permanent staff.

http://www.eneocameroon.cm


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Power Up! Q&A with Altaaqa Global's Julian Ford

The February 2016 issue of Construction Machinery Middle East featured the major players in the power projects sphere, including Altaaqa Global. Julian Ford, Chief Commercial Officer, spoke about the challenging industry and shared his insights on the sector's outlook.

What is the background of Altaaqa Global? 

What ‘market gap’ did you set up to target? 

In 2004, Saudi conglomerate Zahid Group formed Altaaqa Alternative Solutions in Saudi Arabia to provide temporary power services to the country. It has grown to be the largest Caterpillar power generation fleet owner in the world, and the premier rental power services provided in the Kingdom.
With the desire to replicate the success of Altaaqa Alternative Solutions on a global scale, Zahid entered into a Global Power Projects (GPP) agreement with Caterpillar and formed Altaaqa Global in 2012. Altaaqa Global was appointed by Caterpillar to deliver multi-megawatt turnkey rental power projects around the world.

Since then, we have widened our geographic coverage, opening branches in Bangalore, India; Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa. We have also secured several contracts in key regions across the globe, including the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Which market segments do you operate in? 

Altaaqa Global owns, mobilizes, installs and operates large-scale rental power plants tailored to customers’ specific applications. We are in the position to rapidly deploy fuel efficient, scalable and reliable multi-megawatt temporary power plant solutions.

Our technologies find application in a wide range of industries, including utility power generation, utility power transmission & distribution, mining, oil & gas, petrochemicals & refineries, government & NGO services, ports & harbours, and process industries.

What’s your current fleet size? 

Altaaqa Global and Altaaqa Alternative Solutions have a combined fleet power capacity in excess of 1,600 MW. The fleet includes generators running on diesel, natural gas or a combination of the two.

Being part of the global Caterpillar dealer network, we also have access to the power generation fleet of our co-dealers anywhere in the world, giving us exceptional fleet capability and flexibility to meet even the largest customer demands.  

Julian Ford, Chief Commercial Officer, Altaaqa Global

You’re supported by Caterpillar dealers around the world. 

What does this mean in practice when it 

comes to mobilising for a big project?  

In addition to our own in-house capabilities, as an authorized Caterpillar dealer, Altaaqa Global has access to the wide range of technical, engineering, logistical and service/maintenance resources of other Caterpillar dealers around the world.

In mobilizing for a project, for instance, we may tap the power generation resources, technical & engineering expertise and logistical facilities of the local Caterpillar dealers where we operate, or of any Caterpillar dealer around the world. We also have access to locally available parts and can call for local maintenance service or technical support. Thanks to this synergy, we are able to provide for a quick and efficient installation of power plants and ongoing support for projects anywhere in the world.

What sort of relationship do you have with Caterpillar’s product development team, when it comes to providing feedback on existing products, modifying your current fleet, or wishlists for new product development? 

As an authorized Caterpillar dealer, we work closely with the Caterpillar product development team to share perspectives of customer requirements in the power rental business. In this way, we expect to further improve our already-competitive position to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

How popular are your gas-driven solutions in the Middle East? Do you see this product sector growing? What are some of the constraints on this sector, and will they be overcome in the foreseeable future? 

Though it is expected that the diesel generator market will continue to grow and that diesel will remain the preferred fuel in the next several years, we are noticing the gradual growth of the natural gas and dual-fuel generator market as natural gas becomes available. The growth of the market is supported by the increase in unconventional gas resources in many countries not only in the Middle East but also in other parts of the world, and by the lower operating cost afforded by running power plants on gas or gas-diesel combination.

In the past, fuel availability and the costs of installing safe and reliable fuel delivery infrastructure have hampered the growth of the natural gas generator market. Today, gas is becoming increasingly available and gas generation technologies progressively find application in bigger and longer-duration projects. The availability of dual-fuel generators, which significantly simplifies the transition from diesel-run to gas-run generators, is also helping overcome these obstacles.

You’ve said that you want to be ‘the leading and the most preferred temporary power solutions provider before year 2020’. What are some of the industry chances you see coming over the next five years? How do you make sure to ‘future proof’ your business? 

The role of temporary power has evolved from being a local, short-term, transactional activity to a major global project-based industry. It is no longer uncommon to see power plants of 100 MW and up being rented on a longer-term basis. We expect that the diesel generator market will continue to thrive, and that the natural gas market will continue to gain traction.

To keep abreast of the opportunities in the coming years, we will continue to hone a highly skilled, motivated & experienced, world-class, power projects team. At Altaaqa Global, we strive 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.

Do you see any likely trends in the power projects sector as a result of oil companies looking to trim costs?

While the fact that the prevailing oil price makes generators cheaper to run is an advantage in theory, we have to remember that the requirement for generators is proportional to the rate of economic activity. At present, the prices of oil and commodities are suppressed, and this is having a negative impact on the interest on power generation services. We, however, expect the industry to rebound quickly as and when economic conditions improve.  

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Rental Power Plants Mitigate the Effects of Power Cuts on Manufacturing Facilities

Several hydropower-dependent countries around the world are currently experiencing the disruptive effects of prolonged droughts and low-rain season, not helped by the El Niño weather phenomenon being felt by most such areas. Power utilities in these countries have rolled out load shedding schemes in an effort to distribute the limited available power. Despite such initiatives, the power supply in these areas still remains scarce that residents, businesses and industrial facilities have been enduring power cuts that last for as much as 24 hours…

The power crisis in these hydropower dependent countries has adversely affected small-, medium- and large-scale manufacturing enterprises, which typically account for the majority of employment in such areas. In addition to lamenting about the debilitating consequences of power interruptions on operations, business operators have been complaining about employee productivity, saying that the usual 8 AM to 5 PM shift of their employees has been rendered academic, because workers spend most of their time doing no work due to power cuts. “In most cases,” commented a facility manager, “power is restored at the end of the day. Since we cannot predict when the power will go out, it has become difficult to plan the shifts, because no one knows the time when the power will be available.”

As a result of the prevailing constant load shedding, manufacturing industry players predict that a considerable number of companies will close down or cut back on expansion projects that would have created viable job opportunities. “We have not evaluated the damage of the power shortage,” said an industry player, “but we have seen that the power cuts have not spared even the large industrial areas.” The lack of assurance in the electricity supply, he continued, would force more companies to lay off workers due to their inability to sustain overhead costs amidst the little or absent production. “Because of the power supply insufficiency,” he added, “manufacturing companies will incur higher production costs due to start-stop production. They will also suffer substantial losses and increased fixed costs per unit due to lower volumes.”

In times of persistent load shedding, manufacturing companies will find tremendous economic benefits in hiring the services of temporary power providers. Reliable electricity is the lifeblood of manufacturing companies, and renting large-scale power plants can guarantee a constant supply of power to their facilities without the need to spend scarce CAPEX in building permanent power stations. In these difficult times for the industry, manufacturing companies will appreciate the fact that they can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants from their operating revenues. Manufacturing companies can also choose to add power modules to the rental power plants as their operations expand and their requirement for electricity increase, for instance during peak production seasons.

Rental power plants are not only reliable, they are also environmentally friendly. Modern rental generators boast of cleaner operations, being able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or dual-fuel. Studies conducted in different rental power plants sites around the world show that temporary power stations, like those running on natural gas, can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after treatment.

“Electricity is a critical input to production,” said another industry player, as he shared the apprehension of other business operators about not reaching their respective production targets for 2015. “We understand that the ongoing power situation is a crisis. We, need, however, to save the critical sectors that generate and create business for the country and employment for its people.”

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Temporary Power Plants Support Hydropower Generation

Many countries around the globe whose electricity generation is mainly dependent on hydropower are being adversely affected by the extended and intense El Niño phenomenon. El Niño, a cyclical meteorological phenomenon, brings droughts in a number of regions in the world, causing hydropower facilities to fail to generate enough electricity for residential and industrial consumption.

In cases like this, utility providers or governments of hydropower-dependent countries can find merit in hiring large-scale temporary power plants. Rental power plants can instantly fill in the gap in electricity supply without the need to heavily invest in permanent power infrastructure or wait years or decades for the completion of one. As large-scale rental generators are modular and containerized they can be rapidly delivered to and installed anywhere in the world, and can be configured to the requirement of any city, region or even an entire country. They are fully capable of working in remote locations and in areas where grids or substations are outdated, damaged or absent. They can be fully constructed and operated in a matter of weeks, and can be ramped up or scaled down based on the customer’s consumption.

Aside from proven reliability and ease of installation and operation, large-scale temporary power plants also boast of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Modern large-scale rental generators are able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or dual-fuel (gas and diesel) and thus surpass worldwide emission standards.

By virtue of their economy, dependability and environmentally friendliness, renting large-scale temporary power plants as a solution for seasonal electricity requirements yields many benefits to governments, utilities, industries and residents.

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Load Shedding, the Pharmaceutical Industry and the Quest to Save Lives

In light of the constant increase in electricity demand and a relatively moderate investment in the construction or refurbishing of power infrastructure, many countries around the world face the problem of regular load shedding and continual power outages. The effects of load shedding and power interruptions are felt by almost all sectors of the society and economy, including residents, the government, primary resource businesses and manufacturing/processing industries. One sector that has been ailing from constant power outages is the pharmaceutical industry.

Industry spokespersons cite that constant load shedding has been making it difficult for their companies to manufacture drugs and other pharmaceutical products, including potentially life-saving medicines for serious diseases, including cancer and hepatitis. “Shortage of power,” says one pharmaceutical facility operator, “is not only affecting our production, but has also been making the lives of patients around the world more difficult.” He said that power outages render more challenging not only meeting the local demand for medicines, but also fulfilling export requirements. “Before load shedding,” he continues, “we have been satisfactorily meeting the domestic pharmaceutical requirements, but now, we have found it increasingly difficult to meet our targets here and abroad.”

Industry players have been clamoring for the pharmaceutical sector to be exempted from daily rounds of load shedding and peak shaving, but the governments and the utility providers cannot always guarantee this. “There are days when we experience continuous power,” says another operator, “but most of the time, power is cut at unexpected times, and the outage lasts for hours.” He understands that residents, businesses and industries all share a limited supply of electricity, and a privilege of a continuous supply of power extended to the pharmaceutical industry will be at the expense of another industry or the residents. “We know that it is very difficult at this time for the utility providers to exempt us from load shedding or peak lopping,” the same operator continues, “so we have installed local power generation facilities within our sites.” The problem, however, is that their power production is not always reliable, and is not always sufficient for large-scale production.

Pharmaceutical facility operators may find benefits in supporting their local power generation facilities, like renewable sources, with large-scale standby power equipment, like rental power plants. Rental power plants are capable of providing a reliable and consistent electricity supply to industry-scale operations, and generating the exact amount of power as they are designed to produce. They can be ramped up or scaled down depending on the precise need of the customer, hence precluding instances of under- or over-sizing. So, for instance, if the local power facility produces sufficiently, then the rental power plants go on standby mode; but once the electricity supply diminishes, the temporary power plants activate and ensure that the desired amount of electricity is supplied.

As constructing rental power plants do not require a huge capital expenditure, implementing them does not mean an additional burden for pharmaceutical companies. The companies can pay the electricity supply as they go, and do not have to think of the maintenance and servicing of the plants.
 
With rental power plants, pharmaceutical production facilities can continuously operate to meet the local demand for medicines, and fulfill their export requirements. They can go on creating life-saving medicines for the most pressing illnesses of the world. While the governments and the utility industries construct and improve power infrastructure to eliminate load shedding, temporary power plants can ensure that life goes on not only for patients but also for the pharmaceutical industry.

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Load Shedding Throws Food Production into Disorder

Power interruptions affect the entire food supply chain – from primary production to the delivery of goods to consumers. Farmers are highly dependent on electricity for irrigation, livestock care and harvesting. Food processing plants rely on electricity to run their machinery and keep procedures thorough and safe. Food storage facilities depend on power to maintain the correct temperature in their stock rooms. Groceries and supermarkets have to continuously run freezers and chillers to keep food items safe for public consumption.

Food manufacturing and processing entities declare that the foremost challenge in this whole scheme of electricity supply inadequacy is the uncertainty around the schedule of load shedding. The unpredictability of when the power will go out makes it difficult for companies to schedule their operations around the outages. As food processing and manufacturing facilities cannot afford to shut down operations during blackouts or halt production processes once they have been started, a sudden loss of electricity and stoppage in production often result in million upon millions of wasted raw materials and discarded half-finished products. Not to mention that there are also processes that are completely dependent on biorhythms of animals, like milking or laying eggs – these cannot be scheduled around load shedding timings.

Let’s quickly look at the processing of fresh milk as an illustration. Once the milk is in a silo, it has to be treated, cooled and transported to a dairy plant for processing. It has to be kept at the perfect temperature, and then processed through various heating and cooling stages. This being so, a milk processing plant needs electricity 24/7, or it runs the risk of discarding unfinished products or producing unsafe goods. Either way, the financial and opportunity losses can amount to several millions.

The unwanted effects of power outages spill over post-harvest. Once food items have been processed and finalized for distribution, they have to be carefully stored at the precise temperature so their quality does not deteriorate and their safety is ensured. If, at any point, such a process is disrupted by temperature abuse, the products lose value or, worse, thrown away due to safety concerns.

Some food processing facilities have attempted to work around the problem by employing solar or wind energy facilities within their sites, but later on found out that such power sources were not always able to sufficiently produce for a huge production load.

While renewable energy sources are excellent options to support conventional power sources, they can become more viable if integrated with standby power generation systems, like rental power plants. Temporary power plants can help plug in the gap in electricity supply in instances when solar or wind power facilities inadequately produce. Rental power stations have been configured to generate at all times the exact amount of electricity as needed, and can be ramped up or scaled down depending on the requirement of the minute.

Food processing and manufacturing facilities may also find benefits in renting power plants during seasons of peak production. During months of increased demand for food products, food processing and manufacturing facilities cannot afford to limit or suspend production just because there is insufficient power, or they will lose huge economic opportunities to grow their business and expand their customer base. During such times, rental power plants can ensure the continuous supply of electricity for uninterrupted operations.

Large-scale temporary power plants can supply reliable electricity to large food processing, manufacturing and storage facilities all over the world. They are easily installed and commissioned, and can be quickly decommissioned as desired. Constructing rental power plants will not disrupt operations, as they are containerized and configured for plug-and-play installation.

As building temporary power plants do not require a large capital expenditure, food processing and manufacturing facilities will be able to pay for the electricity as they go, and not spend scarce Dollars on infrastructure construction and maintenance.

By employing fast-track, reliable and sustainable alternative sources of electricity, like rental power plants, food processing and manufacturing companies can ensure the health, safety and loyalty of the people that patronize their products.

In the next article, we will discuss how load shedding affects the pharmaceutical industry and how rental power plants can ensure the safety and efficacy of medicines and other pharmaceutical products.


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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

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