Innovative solution and Virtual Pipeline to meet seasonal peak demand

Energía Solar Cachanilla (ESCO) is a company with more than 15 years of experience commercialising electrical energy for the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico.

Having a reliable energy supply was vital for the economy of the region, mainly tourists and very important commercial activity.

To cover the projected deficit for the summer of 2020, the customer had to supply additional power to the electrical transmission system to meet the short term peak demand.

The generation equipment had to be installed in the city of Mexicali,which registers the highest temperatures in Mexico, the lowest levels of rainfall and is one of the areas with the highest seismic activity in the country - so operation in adverse conditions had to be guaranteed.

Furthermore, due to a disruption in the supply of natural gas after that would normally be used as fuel, the customer needed to have a flexible solution that could operate with gases of different compositions, as it would be supplied by two different routes: conventional gas pipeline and a virtual gas pipeline.

We offered a comprehensive solution, consisting of 62 natural gas generators distributed in 2 locations, which would be operating 24/7 to generate 48 MW of energy.

The installation of our equipment was carried out during difficult times where the movement of people and equipment was restricted globally. At Aggreko, we know how to work in adverse conditions, we excel at effectively coordinating the mobilisation of teams and expert personnel from different countries even with unprecedented restrictions.

We worked together with local and international authorities to meet the installation deadlines of the project.

We mobilised more than 190 equipment containers as well as a multinational group of technicians from Brazil, Panama, the United States, Ecuador, Venezuela, Dubai, the United Kingdom and of course, Mexico to successfully install in Mexicali. Our Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) team monitored compliance with all the guidelines and recommendations established to guarantee the health and safety of staff, clients and nearby communities during the pandemic.

In addition to the logistical and environmental challenges (temperatures greater than 50º C), after installing and commissioning, another situation arose that challenged the optimal functioning of the project.

During the contracted time, our customer faced a bigger unexpected challenge when their permanent fuel supply failed. This unexpected gas shortage meant there wouldn’t be enough fuel for us to operate, leaving ESCO unable to meet its end user’s power supply terms.

ESCO decided to contract fuel supplier Stabilis Solutions to provide LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and thus overcome the fuel shortage that would last around 100 days. The fuel was supplied via trucks, as a virtual gas pipeline and was re-gasified and introduced into the ESCO pipes, from where our generators were connected.

The flexible nature of our technology and approach became a critical benefit for ESCO, especially after installation. We worked closely with Stabilis on behalf of ESCO to determine the LNG specification and adjust our equipment to generate energy from the new type of gas, achieving zero impact on the total quantity delivered.

At Aggreko, we specialise in understanding the changing needs of our clients and thus supporting them to solve all their challenges. We face any challenge head-on to ensure we can provide the energy required for your operations to continue uninterrupted.

ESCO was also able to seamlessly integrate a virtual pipeline of LNG into the gas supply, enabling them to continue to meet their obligations despite the 100 day gas shortage they encountered.

This ultimately ensured ESCO was able to incorporate 48 MW into the electricity distribution system of Baja California, meeting the seasonal peak demand and enabling 3.3 million residents of the peninsula to enjoy an uninterrupted energy service.