Clarke Energy is a market leader in gas to energy solutions. Clarke Energy now has over 380 megawatt electric (MWe) of gas generating capacity either operating or under contract in Australia and New Zealand. This includes eleven coal seam gas (CSG)-fired turnkey power stations totalling 220 MWe, all designed and built by Clarke Energy’s in-house engineering and construction teams. All of these projects have been delivered ahead of time, within cost and with no lost time injuries or environmental incidents, demonstrating the efficacy of Clarke Energy’s “zero harm” ethos.

The GE Jenbacher reciprocating gas gensets used in these projects feature class-leading electrical efficiency of up to 48.7 per cent. These gas gensets have now become the choice for generating the most efficient and reliable power in remote and environmentally harsh outback locations. A typical Clarke Energy-designed 40 MW power station with GE Jenbacher engines will save over 245 terajoules of gas per annum when compared with the nearest alternative offerings. This represents an emission saving of 12,500 tonnes per annum of CO2 or the equivalent of removing 2,280 cars from the road.

Applications for CSG

In December 2010, Clarke Energy was awarded the contract to supply a 21 MWe power island to provide power for a water treatment plant in the Surat Basin. During the design phase, Clarke Energy developed innovative systems that minimise the gas consumption of upstream infrastructure. One such example is the capture of waste heat for use in for reverse osmosis treatment of associated water. In this case the raw water can be warmed to improve the efficiency of reverse osmosis process.

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Additional efficiency gains can be achieved by raising steam from the waste heat and using this for brine concentrators. Other innovations include special engine cooling designs and combustion air cooling systems, which facilitate higher genset efficiency, reduce near and far field noise emissions, and minimise de-rate at ambient temperatures up to 45 degrees.

These features can also reduce the capital cost and importantly help ensure that more field gas reaches its destination without being swallowed by low efficiency infrastructure.

Power to rely on

Clarke Energy recognises the importance of high availability and reliability and has developed and proven cost-effective, modular power station designs with minimised single points of failure.

Costly redundancy is reduced through reducing excess generation capacity that would normally be required for hot days. These power plants are underpinned by an ever-growing service and operations team based in the coal belt heartlands of Queensland and New South Wales.

Asset management agreements typically include performance and availability guarantees which allow owners to focus on their core operations, with a single point of accountability throughout the project lifecycle and certainty of operating costs.