OREANDA-NEWS.    GE’s Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) announced today that its channel partner in Mexico, Smith Power Mexico S de RL de CV, will provide its gas engine technology to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor SEISA for Enerkin SAPI de C.V.’s (Enerkin) new combined heat-and-power (CHP) plant in Mexico. Enerkin is the first independent power producer in the state of Yucatan, and its new CHP plant in Merida, will help meet the Mexican government’s initiative for efficient cogeneration.

Enerkin is a special purpose company formed by Proteinas y Oleicos S.A. de C.V. (Proteinas y Oleicos) and other companies based in Merida. The new CHP project will use three of GE’s Jenbacher two-stage turbocharged J624 gas engine generator sets to produce 13.125 megawatts (MW) of electric power and 13,800 pounds per hour of saturated steam from the exhaust of the units. The electric power produced will be used to power the existing plants of the shareholders with the surplus energy being wheeled to the Federal Electricity Commission’s (CFE) grid. The CFE is the Mexican state-owned electric utility. The saturated steam produced from the engine exhaust will be used as process steam in the Proteinas y Oleicos manufacturing plant.

By integrating GE’s advanced gas engine technology into the Enerkin CHP plant, it will allow the stakeholders to displace purchased power from CFE and to realize significant savings through the high-cycle efficiency of the plant.

Enerkin’s new plant is the first CHP project in Mexico to feature GE’s Jenbacher J624 gas engines, and it also is the first EPC agreement between Enerkin and SEISA, a major international energy projects developer based in Monterrey.

“This project strengthens our position as a leading gas engine supplier for CHP and distributed power projects throughout the world,” said Gerardo Villavicencio, business leader, Mexico for GE’s Distributed Power business. “By integrating our high-efficiency gas engines into a CHP application, Enerkin will be able to better meet its immediate power and steam requirements.”

The plant is scheduled to begin commercial operation in May 2015. With the success of the initial phase, the potential exists for the CHP plant to be expanded with additional units.

GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business is a leading provider of power equipment, engines and services, focused on power generation at or near the point of use. Distributed Power’s product portfolio includes GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines and reciprocating engines, which generate 100 kilowatts to 100 MW of power for numerous industries globally. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Distributed Power employs about 5,000 people around the world.