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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Tel: +971 56 1749505
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How to Prevent Electricity Disruption during Peak Summer Months

In many countries around the world, power shortages, blackouts, load shedding and unscheduled electricity interruption are common during peak summer months. There are several reasons why they occur, but perhaps two of the most prominent are the spike in power consumption among residents and businesses, and not having enough power supply.

During the hottest days of the year, it is not uncommon that residents, businesses, and industrial operations use air conditioning more often. In homes and offices, multiple air conditioning units usually run all at the same time at full power to cool the temperature and keep a healthy living or working environment. In addition, in many countries schools are on break during these months so children are likely staying at home and consuming electricity as they watch TV, play with their game consoles or surf the Web on their computers. These are just a few of the reasons why power consumption notably increases during summer months.

On the other hand, in some countries, especially those that rely on hydropower, the summer months also see a reduced availability of electricity supply due to drought, prolonged absence of rain and the drying up of water reservoirs. When electricity consumption went up while the supply gradually decreased, one could imagine that what would follow are more frequent power interruption, longer blackouts, and unplanned load shedding. This would, in turn, result in massive inconvenience among residents, hampered business operations and lower levels of industrial production.

Good thing interim power supply solutions are available. Many power utilities prevent the occurrence of widespread blackouts and power disruption during the peak summer months by hiring multi-megawatt temporary power plants.

For instance, in the summer of 2013, the Sultanate of Oman hired a 24 megawatt (MW) rental power plant through the leading global temporary power provider Altaaqa Global Caterpillar Rental Power to boost its electricity supply. As the country needed an immediate solution to supplement its existing power supply, Altaaqa Global delivered the project in record-time, completing the installation, powering on and supplying electricity in just 96 hours. Altaaqa Global offered a complete turnkey power solution comprising power generators, transformers, fuel tanks, distribution panels, electrical accessories, and manpower – certified power engineers who will operate, manage and maintain the temporary power plant.

In 2014, Eneo, the integrated power utility provider of Cameroon, opted to partner with Altaaqa Global in installing a 50 MW natural gas power plant in Douala to increase its electricity supply and decrease the instances of power outages and load shedding in the city. Altaaqa Global’s gas power plants, comprising state-of-the-art power generation equipment, started supplying electricity after only 21 days from when the equipment arrived at the site. Till date, the gas power plants have been consistently producing reliable electricity to the residents, businesses, and industries of Douala.

Even as some countries may experience power supply limitation during the summer months, temporary power generation technologies are available to boost their electricity supply so they can prevent power outages and instances of load shedding. Temporary power plants are swiftly delivered, reliable and fuel-efficient, and does not require a huge capital investment. Power utilities can conveniently pay for the rented electricity from their operating expenses over a regular contracted period. Once the need for supplemental electricity passed, rental power plants could be easily demobilized, so no permanent power facility would be left unutilized or would require constant maintenance.

These are just some of the general benefits of choosing to rent power plants in times of short- to medium-term multi-megawatt power requirements. We invite you to talk to us to find out how temporary power plants can help solve your electricity challenges. Call us at +971 4 880 8006 or e-mail us at info@altaaqaglobal.com.

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INQUIRIES

Altaaqa Global

Tel: +971 56 1749505

jsanchez@altaaqaglobal.com