Powering growth in the CIS

Greater investment and increased production in key sectors of the Russian economy since 2000 has led to a corresponding surge in electricity consumption. This, against a backdrop of an unreliable national grid, soaring grid prices and very few alternative sources of energy, has driven an average annual growth rate of 13 percent in the Russian generating set market.

FG Wilson (Engineering) Ltd is one power solutions provider that has thrivied in this dynamic economic climate. A leading international generating set supplier, FG Wilson opened its representative office in Moscow in 1995. The company’s 18 authorised dealers make up one of the most developed dealer network in the major CIS markets of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The company’s dealers not only supply generating sets but also offer customers a full range of support services, including pre-sales technical support during the decision-making process and complete after-sales services such as maintenance and supply of spare parts. Technical training is also arranged upon client request and dealers have the technical expertise to deliver of turnkey projects of the most complicated specification.

Gas-fired generating sets, in particular, are proving to be increasingly popular in the CIS markets. For example, the FG Wilson Dealer Network supplied more than 40 gas units and completed more than 20 gas cogeneration projects in 2005. In 2004, the company also saw increased demand for its bi-fuel generator range, which is targeted at niche markets such as the oil and gas industry. Bi-fuel sets offer users flexibility in their choice of fuel – the generator can run on diesel only or on a mixture of diesel and natural gas (up to a maximum of 70 percent gas, 30 percent diesel).

The bi-fuel system can also be retro-fitted to certain existing FGW genset models. The generator sets must also be installed where there is a guaranteed supply of high quality natural gas on site.

A case study:

In one week in January 2006 temperatures in Moscow fell to a record -35-45c. Further north, close to the Barents Sea, in a fishing town called Salekhard, normal winter temperatures are -45-50 degrees, but in this week fell to -50-56 degrees for the short day and long night.

Luckily for the good people of Salekhard, one of FG Wilson’s Russian dealers installed two of the company’s Power Solution PG750B gas gensets with heat recovery packages to provide heat and power for the local fishing plant. The gensets and CHP plant were despatched from Larne in August 2005 and installed by our Dealer in specially designed low ambient containers. The finished site is a mini power station with gas pressure reduction plant, the generating sets and CHP, emergency gas fuelled boilers, with high voltage step up transformers and switchgear.

In spite of the unusually cold temperatures, the gas generating sets and CHP packages have coped very well, and each unit (at 23/01/06) completed 1000 running hours providing 400-500kW electric power and 500-600kW thermal energy.

Other projects completed by the FG Wilson Dealer Network in CIS include:

•1 x PG1000B unit with CHP has operated in St Petersburg since Dec 04. The cogeneration plant has allowed the customer to become much more independent, and meant they were unaffected by a raise in the tariffs of the local energy company at the beginning of 2005.

•3 x PG1250B synchronised units and CHP. This cogeneration plant supplies 3mWe of electricity and 3.4mW of heat to the municipal buildings on the south-east of Moscow.

•18 x 800kVA FG Wilson diesel generating sets for an oil company in Russia. On the base of these units an FG Wilson Dealer created six containerised power modules. Each module supplies power to an oil rig (model BU3000).

•6 x P800 FG Wilson containerised diesel generating sets supplies electricity for oil rig (model BU4500). Units are running for more than two years and currently have more than 12000 of running hours. The dealer provides power to the Shell site (Salym Peroleum Development).

•8 x 725kVA FG Wilson generating sets (three energy complexes) for Slavneft and Tomskneft are already running for more than 15,000 run/hours. Dealer sells generating sets to the valuable oil customers.

•3 x P800 FG Wilson containerised sets is running for more than 10000h on Sibneft site. A large Siberian Drill Company is a valued client of FG Wilson.