General Electric (GE) said it would supply three of its 4-megawatt (MW) Jenbacher J624 gas engines and one of its 2-MW J612 units to power a new factory that will produce billions of syringes and intravenous (IV) drug products that are needed each year to fight against malaria in Africa.
Clarke Energy, GE’s authorised distributor of Jenbacher gas engines in Nigeria, will install the 14-MW cogeneration plant at the syringe and IV products factory on behalf of Nigeria-based Integrated Medical Industries Limited (IMIL), the company said Tuesday in a statement on its website.
IMIL’s new syringe and IV products operation is scheduled to start production in 2014. Each year, the new facility is expected to produce 1 billion syringes, 1 billion hypodermic needles, 105 million sets of IV bags and 90 million liters of IV solutions, medications and injectables.
Karl Wetzlmayer, general manager of gas engines, GE Power & Water, said: “When it comes to deploying the best available distributed power solutions to the front lines of Africa’s battle against malaria, IMIL recognised that GE’s J624 technology is ideally suited to ensure it has the power needed to maintain its production of vital medical equipment.”
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Amenya Wokoma, executive project director for IMIL, said: “We selected Clarke Energy and GE’s Jenbacher gas engines following a comprehensive assessment of technology options. Using gas as a fuel will provide us significant cost savings compared to diesel. We are confident this will deliver reliable supplies of power to our production plant using the most advanced technology.”
Reliable power supplies are essential for smooth operation of the syringe factory since power interruptions can damage batches of syringes. Demand for electricity in Nigeria is high, and the national grid has a challenge meeting this demand. The cogeneration facility, however, will rely on Nigeria’s own growing gas distribution network to ensure it has a reliable fuel supply.
IMIL also selected the Jenbacher gas engines to take advantage of lower natural gas prices compared to diesel fuel, with the additional capital expenditure typically being paid off between 12 to 18 months.
The on-site power plant also will contribute to the Nigerian government’s ambitious targets to modernise the nation’s electrical generation infrastructure. The new cogeneration plant will be the first power project in sub-Saharan Africa to utilise GE’s 24-cylinder J624 gas engines. GE’s J624 is the world’s first 24-cylinder gas engine and is characterised by high efficiency and reliable performance.
