Tue, 05/06/2014 - 00:00

MUNICH (May 6, 2014) – GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business announced Clarke Energy, GE’s authorized Jenbacher gas engine distributor for the United Kingdom, has been selected to supply U.K. waste management company Biffa with eight of GE’s Jenbacher landfill gas engines as part of a modernization of several landfill gas-to-energy (LFGE) plants across the U.K. Biffa is a U.K.-integrated waste management business, providing collection, treatment, recycling and technologically-driven energy generation services. For the project, Clarke Energy will supply Biffa with eight of GE’s containerized, 1-megawatt (MW) JGC320GS-LL gas engines. Biffa plans to replace some of its older LFGE generators that have reached the end of their operating life cycles with GE’s Jenbacher units. The GE engines will generate a combined 8.5 MW of renewable electricity, which is enough to power 20,000 average homes. GE's fuel-flexible Jenbacher gas engines are powered by landfill gas, which is created from solid waste decomposition and then recovered as a valuable renewable fuel. This methane-rich gas would otherwise be wasted by being released into the atmosphere as a potent greenhouse gas. Methane has a global warming factor that is 21 times greater than carbon dioxide. Biffa Managing Director Dr. John Casey said, “Clarke Energy has been providing installation and equipment services to Biffa since 1997. Their service has been second to none, hence we had no hesitation in approaching them to supply our new (Jenbacher) landfill gas generators to support our business needs moving forward. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Clarke Energy and their support for our plans for growth in this area.” Alan Fletcher, the main board director at Clarke Energy, said, “We are delighted to be working with GE to support Biffa in the renewal of their landfill gas generating assets. Our long-standing relationship with Biffa is built around providing high quality installations and a focus on after-sales product support to ensure maximum equipment availability.” The new LFGE units, which will be manufactured at GE’s Jenbacher gas engine factory in Jenbach, Austria, are expected to be delivered in October 2014. “We are pleased to collaborate with Clarke Energy by supplying our Jenbacher gas engines for Biffa’s modernization of several its landfill gas-to-energy plants across the U.K.,” said Leon van Vuuren, global Jenbacher gas engines sales leader for GE’s Distributed Power business. “GE and Clarke Energy are ideally positioned to help Biffa and other waste management companies and municipalities around the world replace their older landfill gas-fueled generators with newer, more efficient GE gas engines and vital after-sales services.” GE and Clarke Energy have a long-standing relationship with Biffa, supplying landfill gas power generation equipment and providing critical after-sales product support through Clarke Energy. The latest order for the eight units brings the total number of Jenbacher gas engines supplied to Biffa to 91 generators that produce a total of 73.4 MW of renewable electricity. Clarke Energy has now supplied more than 680 MW of landfill gas-based generation capacity across the U.K. and Ireland alone. GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power provides power equipment, engines and services, focused on power generation at or near the point of use. Clarke Energy’s is a multinational business with international headquarters in Liverpool, England. The company specializes in the engineering, installation and maintenance of low-carbon and renewable power plants using gas engines.