Gen-C restores EDL’s power at the height of the pandemic
Find out how a swift response from Gen-C saved the day when vandals damaged the CHP control panels at EDL’s Wellingborough landfill site during lockdown…
When the CHP control panels at EDL’s Wellingborough landfill site were vandalised – rendering two Jenbacher 320 1 MW engines unusable – the timing could not have been worse. One week before Easter 2020, coronavirus was sweeping the UK and the country had just been placed into its first lockdown. Site managers anticipated a significant period of downtime but thanks to a swift response from Gen-C, the upgraded engines were back up and running within just two weeks and are now performing better than ever.
Pandemic pressure
Lee Heath, EDL’s Operations Manager, called Gen-C’s Managing Director James Thompson at 10am on the day the damage was discovered to see whether there was anything he could do. “The speed of their response was astounding,” says Lee. “They were on site by 1pm to assess the damage and had quoted to replace the panels by the end of the working day.”
James explains: “As power supply specialists, we are classed as key workers, so we were able to get on site within hours. We recommended upgrading EDL’s vandalised panels to the far superior Motortech open access control panels, which are based on the popular ComAp technology, along with Motortech ignition and knocking control systems. To keep costs down, we made sure the new equipment could interface with the engines’ existing Jenbacher parts, including the mixer, throttle and auxiliary components.”
Establishing social distance
Happy with Gen-C’s quote, and the speed of response, EDL instructed them to begin work. But lockdown measures and social distancing guidelines meant this was an installation unlike any other. “In a week when most of our competitors were closing premises and furloughing staff, we were figuring out how to complete the project while minimising the chance of our employees, and EDL’s, catching COVID-19.”
It was also important to ensure that the supply chain had not been affected by the pandemic. “Fortunately, we store a lot of parts at our Sheffield headquarters and every item required for the EDL project was in stock. We started the project just three days after receiving the initial call.”
Superior engine performance
The first engine upgrade was completed within two weeks, while the second took just eight days. Gen-C’s engineers replaced the vandalised control panels with Motortech’s advanced gas engine technology. Not only does this ensure improved reliability for the engines, it also enables site managers to dial in remotely to see how the engines are performing, receive an alert whenever there is a fault, rectify it and even remotely restart the engines. Gen-C also upgraded the ignition and knocking control systems with the latest Motortech technology.
“The difference in performance is like night and day,” confirms Paul Newman of Newman Electrical Services, main mechanical contractor for EDL Midlands. “The engines run much more smoothly and reliably, and the fact that we can monitor and restart them remotely has proved invaluable.”
With both engines running well, Paul and Lee are full of praise for Gen-C’s support during a difficult and unprecedented time: “Gen-C’s speed of response was fantastic, but more than that, their professionalism and knowledge ensured a difficult situation had a positive outcome. They delivered exactly what they promised, on time and on budget.”
If you need help with your gas engines, call 01709 718002.