Updated: 10 April 2023 08:09
The dual fuel engines installed in the Central Elèctrica del Nord (Photograph courtesy of www.man-es.com)
The dual fuel engines installed in the Central Elèctrica del Nord (Photograph courtesy of www.man-es.com)
The maker of Belco’s dual-fuel engines has said it is not surprised Bermuda faces ongoing emissions challenges, given its equipment runs on heavy fuel oil.
A spokesman for MAN Energy Solutions, which was part of a consortium with Danish company and main contractor for the northern power plant Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor, said The Royal Gazette: “We are deeply saddened that the people of Bermuda are yet to experience reliable operation. We are confident that the plant will deliver. MAN ES is 100 percent committed to working towards this goal as part of the BWSC consortium.”
Asked about the excess pollution at the plant, the spokesman added: “MAN ES confirms that it is not surprising to have these challenges with the combination of 51/60DF. [dual fuel] gas version that runs on HFO.
“Dual fuel engines are typically optimized to run on either gas or diesel as the primary fuel. The 51/60DF engines designed for the Belco NPS were optimized for the gas application as the infrastructure was initially planned to gas”.
Belco has blamed excessive pollution at NPS, including soot and sulfur dioxide emissions, on its decision to optimize the station to run on liquefied natural gas before the fuel was approved and then run the with HFO when the Integrated Resources Regulatory Authority 2019 Plan rejected LNG.
The Royal Gazette asked MAN additional questions such as who instructed the consortium to optimize the station for LNG, why it was optimized for LNG in the absence of any LNG infrastructure in Bermuda, and whether it was aware that LNG was had discarded while the plant was under construction.
The spokesperson advised to “check with BWSC” on remaining questions.
BWSC has refused to answer any questions about the NPS, saying: “As a matter of principle, we will not answer questions about specific client relationships/projects.”
We also asked BWSC for information about the NPS that appeared to have been removed from their website, but the information was refused.
Leading British consultancy Ricardo Energy & Environment said in a 2021 report released to this newspaper under the Public Access to Information Act that the “most effective” way to mitigate the plant’s soot emissions was to stop burn HFO.
Belco’s own January 29, 2021 report listed a permanent switch to burning less polluting diesel instead of HFO as the primary abatement method that would “ensure better fuel combustibility and thus reduce the risk of soot formation”.
However, following an investigation by the MAN/BWSC consortium, Belco opted to install equipment (connecting rod liners and piston crowns) designed to improve the combustion pressures attributed to the challenges.
This facility, which also included work to address odors at the St John’s Road fuel tanks, was completed at a cost of $2.7 million in January 2022, but emissions continued to include a significant drop of soot last July and numerous events since then.
Last month, Wayne Caines, president of Belco and its parent company, Liberty, said the company continues to work with NPS manufacturers and builders, and that they are now working on installing additional equipment, the dryer skids, designed to remove. moisture from the combustion process.
Belco continues to use HFO as its primary fuel source, switching to the less polluting RA-approved light fuel oil only during certain identified problem conditions.
MAN ES said it was confident the equipment it supplied to Bermuda was in perfect working order.
The spokesperson added: “Yes, definitely. The tested engine has successfully passed the FAT [Factory Acceptance Test]. In addition, two FATs were conducted in November 2018: in diesel mode and in gas mode.”
No mention was made of tests performed in HFO mode.
MAN ES says of the dual-fuel engines on its website: “Dual-fuel engines switch seamlessly between gas and liquid fuels without affecting performance, for the most reliability you can count on.”
Thorsten Dradrach, head of power plant sales in the Americas at MAN ES, wrote on the manufacturer’s website in June 2020: “The Belco operator can be sure that our engines generate the necessary electrical energy with high efficiency and maximum reliability regardless of fuel occupancy, and that the new station will provide cleaner, quieter and more efficient energy”.
When asked if the company stood by Mr. Dradrach, the spokesman said: “Yes, MAN IS confirming this claim.”
RA silent on Belco switching to cleaner fuel
Belco and the Regulatory Authority have stated that the additional cost of burning a cleaner fuel at the plant is prohibitive and would fall on the customer. This is based on a cost analysis done two years ago.
There was no mention in a cost analysis document of possible Government cleaner fuel relief, which the Finance Ministry has said Belco can apply for.
The Royal Gazette asked the RA, which sets the retail rates, whether it considers Belco’s actions to optimize the Northern Power Station for LNG prior to approval to have been wrong or negligent in any way. We are waiting for a response.
We also asked Belco how much it has spent in total on mitigating and managing pollution associated with the NPS and its assets.
We requested that the amount include remedial efforts such as ongoing costs associated with the consortium, roof painting, property restoration work, fuel tank filters to manage odors on St John’s Road, water for affected housings, piston liners and crowns to improve combustion and labor to install them, training, air control and water control, cost of the implementation of all additional conditions written into Belco’s operating license as a result of the challenges, including the use of less polluting fuel during certain problematic conditions, and the cost estimate of ongoing measures, including the installation ·lation of dryer skids, as announced as the next stage of Belco’s efforts.
We asked if a new cost analysis has been done, or is being considered, that compares these costs with the cost of switching to a cleaner fuel until renewable energy sources can take over the majority of electrical supply In the Integrated Resources Plan it was predicted that by 2035, 85% of the electricity supply will be from renewable sources. We are waiting for a response.
