The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE seven multi-fuel engines that will power Bahamas Power and Light’s new $95m electricity plant are scheduled to arrive in the capital on May 4 and will take 23 days to be placed.

BPL said yesterday these engines are scheduled for testing and commissioning in late summer.

A press statement released by the power provider said crews were hard at work preparing the hall at Station A for its next stage.

“The refit of Station A at Bahamas Power and Light Co Ltd Clifton Pier Power Station has already been a logistical tour de force, and as the ship scheduled to leave Trieste, Italy with seven Wärtsilä 50DF multi-fuel engines makes its provisioning stops in preparation to cross the Atlantic, crews are hard at work prepping the hall at Station A for its next life,” the statement sad.

“Over the next six months, BPL and Wärtsilä will be engaged in a complex, delicate dance that will require absolute perfection to pull off. In broad strokes, the dance starts with getting Station A ready, which will include pouring new foundations for the new engines. This will require more than 2,000 cubic yards of concrete – that’s 200 trucks of concrete – and is the main feature of the preparation of the engine hall. Next will come delivery of the engines, followed by placement – a production in itself – and then delivery and set up of the auxiliary equipment.

“As noted, the preparation of the engine hall is well underway. The foundations for the first two engines have already been laid, with the rest to be completed within the next few weeks.”

It continued: “As for the shipping of the engines, they are scheduled to be in Nassau on May 4, although considering that they are crossing the Atlantic, there is some leeway in the expected arrival date.

“The placement of the engines begins with getting them off the ship at the port. Special equipment is already in the pipeline to effect the transfer, including vehicles that will transport each engine from the port to the engine hall.”

This task requires the engines to be transported at walking pace – two miles per hour – from the port to the hall through the night along an already-mapped route with the use of cutting edge digital equipment, BPL said.

BPL said the transfer from the port to the hall, at that pace, is expected to take about nine hours, with the team walking the engines the entire route.