Optimal Group Australia Pty. Ltd., the Australian distributor of Capstone Green Energy, has secured the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for a power generation project in the Oceania region.
According to Capstone, the project will deploy two of its C1000S Signature Series microturbines in a scalable configuration to deliver an initial 2 megawatts (MW) of reliable, low-emission power to an isolated community. This system is designed for expansion, with the ability to scale up to 5MW of power.
The initial 2MW installation is set for November 2025. The facility is located near a natural gas fuel conditioning plant that converts gas into LPG for the Asia Pacific region. The project will use some natural gas from this process for the Capstone microturbines, exporting generated power to the local grid to meet the community’s current demand of 2MW. As more residents and businesses connect, capacity is expected to increase to 5MW, Capstone said.
“Being able to serve the needs of remote, underserved communities is especially meaningful for us”, Vince Canino, President and CEO of Capstone Green Energy, said. “Our ability to operate on alternate fuels in such isolated locations reinforces Capstone’s original design philosophy of providing compact and mobile power solutions – visionary thinking that was introduced by Capstone’s founders, James Noe and Robin McKay, almost 40 years ago”.
Capstone said its modular microturbine design allows the system to easily scale with growing demand. With a single-shaft design as the only moving part, plus air bearings that eliminate the need for lubricating oils and coolants, Capstone microturbines require minimal maintenance. This not only creates some of the highest availability factors in the industry but also leads to significant cost savings, Capstone said.
The project will reduce reliance on diesel for power generation by using refined natural gas, resulting in lower nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compound emissions, and eliminating particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions. Additional benefits of Capstone’s technology include quieter operation, as the microturbines run on a cushion of air, generating significantly less noise than reciprocating engines, Capstone said.
“This power station will provide a reliable source of electricity to the local community and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy security will also be enhanced via the use of locally produced gaseous fuel”, Craig Dugan, CEO of Optimal Group, said. “Optimal’s territory includes some of the most remote and challenging locations globally. Leveraging Capstone’s technological flexibility allows us to deliver intelligently clean solutions at a lower total cost of ownership, with high availability and reliability. These solutions, which are renewable fuel-ready, integrate seamlessly with other renewable energy systems as well”.
Source: By Paul Anderson from Rigzone.com