OREANDA-NEWS. GE (NYSE: GE) announced today that its Jenbacher J312 gas engine at Ramaplast S.p.A.’s trigeneration plant in Italy has recently entered commercial operation. The plant provides more than 600 kilowatts of electrical power year round and more than 700 kilowatts of thermal power in the winter and summer months. Ramaplast also signed a 16-year (or 80,000 operating hours) multiyear service agreement with GE.

“GE’s proven Jenbacher gas engine technology in a ‘plug and play’ containerized solution is an excellent fit in availability and reliability for our plastic manufacturing process and required operations, and it also helps meet the Italian government’s energy strategy to move toward a smaller-size distributed local energy scenario,” said Roberto Stella, head of energy management, Ramaplast. “Additionally, the compact container solution provided by GE fits well in the available space in our plant.”

Ramaplast’s new trigeneration plant, located in Castelnuovo Scrivia, in the Piemonte region, provides heating, cooling and power for the company, which produces plastic boxes for various uses such as pill containers. The plant also can work as backup power and in island mode, with the gas engine supplying power to the main plant when disconnected from the national grid and with an import/export control known as the “scambio zero” feature. This feature means that the gas engine can produce 50-100 percent of the electrical power for the factory without using electricity from Italy’s grid. It also is possible to sell the power to the national grid.

“There is an increase in the trend for on-site power production in the industrial sector, particularly big energy consumers like the plastic segment,” said Leon van Vuuren, regional sales leader for Europe, North Africa, Turkey and India for GE’s Distributed Power business. “GE’s J312 gas engine will allow Ramaplast to save on electrical consumption previously bought from the grid while also experiencing thermal savings. The containerized package solution is a perfect fit for Ramaplast, allowing them to save space for installation in the facilities and takes into account their needs for the trigeneration plant. Additionally, a multiyear service agreement helps protect Ramaplast’s investments. The custom-tailored contract integrates the latest OEM technological knowledge with a full range of asset performance management solutions, field services, genuine spare parts and repairs.”

GE’s J312 gas engine operates on natural gas and was sold in a container in order to run with fewer required additional components, piping and electrical connections. The gas engine was manufactured in GE’s facility in Jenbach, Austria, and the container was manufactured at the Veresegyh?z, Hungary facility.

About GE’s Distributed Power Business

GE Power’s Distributed Power business is a leading provider of engines, power equipment and services focused on generating power at or near the point of use. Distributed Power offers a diverse product portfolio that includes highly efficient, fuel-flexible, industrial gas engines generating 100 kW to 10 MW of power for numerous industries globally. In addition, the business provides life cycle support for more than 35,000 gas engines worldwide to help you meet your business challenges and success metrics— anywhere and anytime. Backed by our authorized service providers in more than 170 countries, GE‘s global service network connects with you locally for rapid response to your service needs. GE’s Distributed Power business is headquartered in Jenbach, Austria.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry.

About GE Power

GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable.