Wastewater from a Del Monte's 23,000-hectare pineapple plantation in in the Philippines is being used to fuel two GE's Jenbacher J420 gas engines installed at a manufacturing plant.
Located in Bugo, Cagayan de Oro, the cannery factory utilises wastewater gathered and treated in an anaerobic wastewater treatment plant, which turns the biowaste into biogas to fuel the two gas engines, GE said in a statement.
The combined heat and power (CHP) plant generates close to 2.8 megawatts (MW) to power the operations of the Del Monte cannery and the plant, and it uses the excess heat to power the boiler.
“As our demands for reliable and secure electricity continue to grow, we considered ways to generate on-site power that would fit into the region’s strategy to reduce the carbon footprint in the Philippines while also supporting our growing investment and employment in the country,” commented Francisco T. Molas, Del Monte Philippines' group head for Mindanao operations.
“The anaerobic treatment is an excellent alternative to existing aerobic systems. We can turn our biowaste into biogas to produce on-site power and heat for the cannery” he said.
DESCO Incorporated - GE’s authorized distributor and service provider for Jenbacher gas engines in the Philippines - is providing a full power plant engineering solution including the installation of the two Jenbacher J420 gas engines, balance of plant, engineering support and the overall maintenance of the units.
“Apart from delivery and installation of the Jenbacher engines, GE’s multiyear agreement with Del Monte also includes technical consultation, equipment such as an activated carbon filter and exhaust gas heat exchanger, startup and commissioning of the engines as well as training,” said Joycelyn Yeo, regional sales leader of GE’s Distributed Power.
The CHP plant at Del Monte Philippines has been continuously providing power and heat to the cannery since its startup in 2015, with an average of 6,000 operating hours a year.