Recip round-up |


Floating a new power supply project for Gabon


Karpowership floating power plants have been commissioned in the municipality of Owendo, Gabon, described as a “significant milestone in strengthening the country’s energy supply, reducing recurring power outages, and supporting the country’s economic development.” The initiative is part of a broader effort to stabilise electricity supply and ensure reliable service for the people of Gabon, says Karpowership, “especially in a context where frequent power cuts hinder daily life and


economic growth,” noting that “the partnership between Gabon and Karpowership serves as a model for public–private collaboration in the energy sector.”, aligning with Gabon’scommitments to sustainability and energy transition.


Karpowership of Turkey owns, operates, and builds what is thought to be the world’s only fleet of power ships, “generating electricity in 16 countries across four continents with a total installed capacity exceeding 7500 MW.”


Gabon’s power ships (photo: Karpowership)


Its ‘ready-to-deploy’ power ships are equipped with reciprocating engines in combined cycle configuration, with multi-fuel flexibility. Depending on the off-takers preference, the power ships can use regasified LNG (via Karpowership FSRUs), domestic natural gas supplied via a pipeline or liquid fuels supplied via a pipeline or bunkering operations.


Upgraded MTU 1600 genset for 50 Hz


Rolls-Royce has completed the launch of its upgraded mtu Series 1600 platform, which boasts up to 40% more power than its predecessor, with its final release for the 50 Hz market. The 60 Hertz version was announced at the end of 2023.


Upgraded mtu Series 1600 (image: Rolls-Royce mtu)


With an electrical output of 590 to 1000 kVA, the gensets are said to be suited to a wide range of applications, including data centres, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings or any type of hybrid or microgrid installation.


A number of the new gensets have already been ordered, covering a wide variety of applications from data centres to hospitals to entertainment venues and a ski resort, says Rolls-Royce. In addition to complete systems, the engines together with a Rolls-Royce supplied cooling system will also be available for purchase by independent OEMs for integration into their own genset designs. Rolls-Royce has increased the power output for the 50 Hz engine to 888 kWm (996 kWm for the 60 Hz version). This makes the 12V1600 Gx1 the engine with “the highest power density in its power class”, says Rolls-Royce, noting that the new


engines “deliver almost full power even at high ambient temperatures, high humidity and under the most difficult environmental conditions.” The new upgraded mtu Series 1600 gensets are approved for synthetic diesel fuels that meet the EN 15940 standard, such as Hydrotreated


Vegetable Oil (HVO), which can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%. The approved fuels can be used without restrictions and without modifications to the hardware of the fuel systems. The new mtu Series 1600 engines meet the requirements of Performance Class G3 and exceed the requirements of ISO 8528 Power Ratings for Emergency Standby Power (ESP) and Prime Power (PRP) “with industry-leading load factors of up to 100 percent for data centres.” In addition, the engines and gensets meet the reliability requirements for Tier III and Tier IV data centres.


Running on ethanol


Wärtsilä has partnered with Brazilian energy company Energetica Suape II SA, to conduct a world-first clean energy trial that will see ethanol – a biofuel mainly produced from sugarcane – used to generate clean power. Taking place at the Suape II power station in Recife, Brazil, the trial will test the world’s first ethanol-fuelled engine for large-scale electricity generation. Brazil is the largest producer and user of ethanol from sugarcane, and this partnership aims to demonstrate the significant potential of this local fuel as a clean power source. According to the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) scenario, the use of biofuels like ethanol will need to almost double by 2030 globally, from generating about 700 TWh of electricity (2.4% of total generation) in 2023 to around 1250 TWh (3.2% of total generation) in 2030. Bioenergy can provide dispatchable, low- emissions power to complement generation from variable renewable energy sources.


“Brazil is a world leader in ethanol production, but its potential use in electricity generation has


up to now been overlooked,” said José Faustino Cândido, Chief Technology Officer at Energetica Suape II SA. “This project aims to change that by delivering thousands of hours of testing, which we hope will demonstrate the role that ethanol could play in Brazil’s future power system. It has been made possible thanks to our strong partnership with Wärtsilä and the important backing of Business Finland.”


“The Brazilian federal government has taken the first step by including ethanol as an authorised fuel in the upcoming 2025 reserve energy capacity auction. Given that ethanol is a unique, locally available biofuel, the Brazilian government would benefit from ensuring that ethanol-based power plants would be part of the approved power generation technologies for the country. By including flexible and sustainable solutions, the country can provide affordable and reliable energy to the people of Brazil”, says Carlos Alberto Mansur Filho, shareholder of Grupo Econômico 4M, which is the majority owner of Energetica Suape II SA.


38 | May 2025| www.modernpowersystems.com


As part of the agreement, Wärtsilä will run up to 4000 hours of tests on the Wärtsilä 32M engine at the Suape II site over two years from April 2026. It could be the first step in a significant movement towards using ethanol as an energy fuel in the country, says Wärtsilä, helped by the inclusion of ethanol as a fuel option in the June 2025 capacity auction.


“This initiative could be a game-changer in advancing sustainable energy solutions and shaping the future of clean power generation in Brazil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and decreasing dependence on fossil fuel imports. Ethanol could also play an important role in the decarbonisation of the electricity sector, as it is readily available today and can be easily transported globally, making it a truly accessible and scalable solution”, says Anders Lindberg, President, Wärtsilä Energy.


Wärtsilä will operate and maintain the ethanol fuelled engine under an operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement with Energetica Suape II SA.


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