When it comes to choosing a generator, one of the first things that will trump desire is need. Diesel and Heavy Fuel Oil engines are less expensive to purchase, but they tend to cause more pollution. Because of the pollution, some countries have banned the use of HFO. With gas turbine engines, you don’t have the pollution effect as you would with an HFO engine. Gas turbines tend to be more expensive. However, they do provide more power per engine. If a client has a large mega watt need and they have the budget for it, gas turbines are the way to go. If they don’t have the budget and can afford to buy multiple HFO engines, that’s an option as well.
For instance, for a power plant project in Guinea, Tombo 1 has 24 mega watts, which is made up of 4, six-mega watt engines. Obviously, 2, two mega watt generators take up more space than having one four-mega watt generator so in some instances environmental constraints are just as big of a factor as budgetary ones. At USP&E, the friendly sales team looks at the client’s needs, such as how much power they’re looking to provide and how they plan to accommodate it. Let us make a recommendation based on your needs.