A undertaking using liquefied pure fuel (LNG) is supporting energy technology in El Salvador and enjoying a serious function within the nation’s vitality transformation.
An vitality undertaking in El Salvador has been known as transformative for the Central American nation, which has lengthy relied on hydro and geothermal assets to assist its energy technology. Authorities officers are pushing for the nation to diversify its vitality combine and recognizing that overseas funding is required to assist new electricity-producing tasks, each renewable and thermal. It’s towards that backdrop that Invenergy, a worldwide vitality undertaking developer, joined with Wärtsilä and others to design and construct an influence technology undertaking not like another within the area.
Energía del Pacífico, or EDP—positioned within the port of Acajutla—is a 380-MW energy plant fueled by pure fuel, with the gasoline equipped through pipeline from an LNG floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) on El Salvador’s Pacific Coast. The undertaking features a 44-kilometer (27-mile) 230-kV double-circuit transmission line and related substations, working from the Acajutla facility to Ahuachapán, a metropolis of greater than 110,000 folks in western El Salvador. The transmission line additionally connects the ability plant to the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC), an interconnection of the ability grids of six Central American nations.
“One of many largest recognized challenges on the outset of the undertaking was the truth that there had by no means earlier than been a gas-fired energy plant served by LNG imports in El Salvador, so we wanted to create the technique of importing and storing LNG,” mentioned Jose Sarmiento, vp and nation supervisor for Invenergy, EDP’s main developer, in El Salvador. “Given the complexity and sheer dimension and scope of this undertaking, we skilled many challenges together with allowing hurdles to get the pure fuel transported to the ability plant.” That included, as Sarmiento famous, “a completely moored floating storage and regasification unit to regasify imported LNG,” together with “a pipeline bored by way of volcanic rock.”
The EDP undertaking represents an funding of about $1.15 billion, which is the only largest overseas direct funding within the nation’s historical past. Building started in early 2020, and the ability plant entered business operation in Might 2022. Sarmiento mentioned, “EDP’s electrical technology represents the biggest and most effective thermal plant within the nation, offering baseload stability to assist the addition of intermittent renewable energy assets.”
Building and Allowing Challenges
Sarmiento advised POWER, “A big allowing problem was the absence of legal guidelines to manipulate the FSRU set up and the shipments through pipeline to convey the fuel to the ability plant.” Sarmiento mentioned Invenergy labored with the federal government of El Salvador “to create and implement the area’s first laws for offshore fuel storage and pure fuel transportation to shore. Establishing this essential regulatory framework lays the muse for future developments that can enhance environmental stewardship.”
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1. Completely moored at El Salvador’s Port of Acajutla, the BW Tatiana is the primary floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. Liquefied pure fuel (LNG) delivered to the FSRU is transformed to pure fuel that’s transported through a 1.8-kilometer subsea pipeline to the onshore energy plant. Courtesy: Invenergy |
Sarmiento mentioned one other impediment “was securing a secure and environmentally accountable pipeline path to the ability plant. Connecting the FSRU [Figure 1] to shore posed a problem as a result of El Salvador’s Pacific cliffs are environmentally protected. The situation of the onshore energy plant might have entailed the pipeline delivering fuel from the FSRU to the ability station working over a cliff the place the road meets the shore. Due to the adverse visible influence this route would have launched, the choice was made to bore by way of the volcanic rock of the cliff. Conventional strategies posed dangers, so the crew repurposed a micro-tunneling method from the mining sector and tailored it to drill by way of strong volcanic rock to attach the FSRU to the ability station.”
Sarmiento mentioned, “The offshore LNG terminal is an ongoing vitality transition enabler for the nation, offering the chance to develop extra infrastructure to provide fuel to different regional customers.”
Wärtsilä Engines
The EDP mixed cycle energy plant options 19 Wärtsilä 18V50SG pure fuel–powered reciprocating engines, every rated at 18.9 MW, and one 28-MW steam turbine generator powered by steam produced from the warmth recovered from every engine. It’s at current the biggest, and thought of essentially the most environment friendly, thermal energy plant in El Salvador.
The electrical energy produced at EDP has displaced energy technology from burning heavy gasoline oil, which is vital to the nation’s environmental objectives. Invenergy officers mentioned using LNG on the energy plant has decreased emissions of carbon dioxide by 600,000 tons yearly in comparison with burning gasoline oil.
The facility plant additionally has decreased El Salvador’s dependency on vitality imports from neighboring nations. Officers mentioned the nation’s electrical energy imports from the Regional Electrical energy Market—which incorporates El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama—have dropped by 70%.
EDP’s 380-MW technology capability represents about 15% of El Salvador’s complete put in capability of two,479 MW. Invenergy officers mentioned the plant can cowl as much as 38% of El Salvador’s peak electrical energy demand. The plant equipped electrical energy to cowl 20% of the nation’s vitality demand from Might to December of final yr.
“The most important problem the undertaking confronted was unanticipated: COVID-19,” mentioned Sarmiento. “Our capability to finish the undertaking regardless of myriad roadblocks as a result of worst world pandemic in trendy historical past is a testomony to Invenergy’s expertise and ingenuity in world energy undertaking improvement and the help of our native companions.” Sarmiento mentioned elements related to COVID-19 included provide chain disruptions, in addition to “an entire nation closure for a time frame and different journey restrictions, in addition to world markets’ volatility and financial uncertainty pushed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
The contractors and suppliers at EDP embody Wärtsilä, which supported design and building of the ability plant. Different corporations concerned embody Elecnor (building of transmission and substations); Boskalis (building of marine infrastructure, together with pipeline, tunnel, mooring, and riser system set up); BWO (design, provide of mooring and riser system); BW LNG (co-owner with Invenergy of the FSRU, the primary to be put in in El Salvador); SAAM Towage (supplied tugboats for LNG tankers); and Shell (LNG provider). Native El Salvador-based companions essential to the success of the undertaking included Grupo Calleja, VC Power de Centroamerica, and Quantum Power.
Group Advantages
The plant is dedicated to doing extra than simply supplying electrical energy for the nation and the area, with a 20-year contract to develop infrastructure works and put money into social tasks within the surrounding space. Sarmiento mentioned these essential infrastructure tasks embody:
- ■ The development of two native roadways and paving/lighting of a number of others in Acajutla.
- ■ Building of a brand new sewage system and wastewater remedy plant in Cantón Metalío.
- ■ Electrification of three native villages: Caserío Los Abetos, canton El Suncita; Caserío Miramar, Metalío canton; and Caserío El Porvenir.
Native colleges even have benefited, by way of reworking and renovation tasks. EDP supported space companies, partially by way of constructing a web-based platform known as “Pa’Servirle,” or “To Serve You,” to assist native companies impacted by the pandemic promote items and companies on-line. EDP additionally collaborated with 5 Acajutla fishing cooperatives, aiding 150 members with boats, gear, and infrastructure enhancements. This system additionally skilled the teams in cooperativism—or the best way to work collectively towards financial and social objectives—together with marine product dealing with, and administrative procedures.
The undertaking additionally supported building of Casa Comunal IVU, a brand new neighborhood middle and sports activities complicated in Colonia IVU. Sarmiento mentioned that by the tip of 2023, the continuing funding of social tasks is anticipated to succeed in $3.8 million.
EDP made a dedication to biodiversity within the area, supporting creation of 150 synthetic reefs, and two turtle incubation nurseries. It supported a neighborhood training marketing campaign on habitat safety of black-eyed frogs, a once-endangered species native to the area.
“This novel undertaking with in depth scope, additionally required a wide-ranging native outreach,” mentioned Sarmiento. “We carried out complete neighborhood engagement by way of a number of channels to maintain our neighbors on top of things with elements of the undertaking, together with city halls with mayors and different native authorities officers and extra info classes with communities, with fishing cooperatives and colleges. EDP’s continued success in neighborhood relations depends on sustaining open, broad and inclusive dialogues inside these communities.”
Mentioned Sarmiento: “It is a complicated, LNG-to-power undertaking that’s really transformative for El Salvador and exemplifies our world management in trendy energy improvement. All in all, EDP is an engineering feat and a mannequin for public-private partnership. The inventive undertaking represents a blueprint for growing nations struggling to develop their economies and meet energy-transition objectives on the similar time.”
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
