K&M understands that from the beginning of the commercial operation, Phase IV Add-on Combined Cycle feedwater pumps experienced high vibration issues and that these issues are not fully resolved despite remedial measures undertaken by SEPCO3, the EPC Contractor, and SEPCO. Specifically, one of the pumps, pump C, still experiences high vibration.

On March 8, 2024, SEPCO issued a request for K&M to provide a quote for performing additional analysis of the feedwater pump operating issues and to provide recommendations on a path forward.

In response, K&M has outlined a three-task approach:

Task 1: Assess Vibration Characteristics and Analyze Vibration Data for Phase IV BFWP Motors

K&M will analyze the vibration characteristics and vibration data for the Phase IV BFWP motors that SEPCO has seen during the commissioning and operation of the plant. The analysis will consist of a review of all relevant documentation and operating data for the BWFP motor and pump assembly as compared to applicable international standards for rotating equipment operation and OEM standards. The data required for a thorough analysis of the issue can be seen in Section 5.3.

Task 2: Provide Recommendations to Resolve Underlying Issues and Mitigate Vibration-Related Levels and Concerns

Based on the information received and analysis performed for Task 1, K&M will provide recommendations for any remedial action or analysis to be performed that has not previously been implemented by SEPCO. The action may consist of running specific test scenarios for additional data points or may require physical intervention.

Task 3: Offer Guidance on Necessary or Recommended Mechanical Measures to Live with the Current Situation of the vibration issue on Phase IV BFWP Motors.

If it is determined that the vibration issues cannot be resolved, a secondary option would be to optimize how SEPCO operates the plant with Pump A having excessive vibration for the life of the plant. K&M will provide recommendations for plant operation configurations, such as, for example, having Pump A on standby or limiting its operation to certain maximum number of running hours per year to prolong the life of the bearings and rotor of its motor; scheduling pump maintenance at the time of gas turbine outage to minimize pump impact on the overall unit availability, conducting regular inspections of pump A motor bearings and preventive  bearing replacement to minimize the possibility of pump forced outage due to bearing damage, etc.

Deliverable:

Feedwater Pump Vibration Analysis and Operation Recommendation Report

NV GEBE, the integrated Sint Maarten power utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity on the Dutch part of the island, experienced outage of several generating units, which created power shortages and required rolling blackouts on Sint Maarten. NV GEBE intended to resolve this issue in the near term by procuring 20 MW of emergency power and engaged K&M to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for that procurement. K&M studied the power plant supply arrangements at Sint Maarten, assisted the client in selecting the project site, and developed an RFP, including instructions to bidders, evaluation methodology, and technical specification, which included technical requirements and detailed description of project interfaces, K&M was able to prepare the RFP within 2 weeks of the project award.

NV GEBE experienced outage of several generating units, which created power shortages and required rolling blackouts on Sint Maarten. NV GEBE intended to resolve this issue in the near term by procuring 20 MW of emergency power and engaged K&M to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for that procurement. K&M studied the power plant supply arrangements at Sint Maarten, assisted the client in selecting the project site, and developed an RFP, including instructions to bidders, evaluation methodology, and technical specification, which included technical requirements and detailed description of project interfaces, K&M was able to prepare the RFP within 2 weeks of the project award.

Aqualectra is facing increased load growth and has recently retired its gas turbine unit, GT2, making it difficult for Aqualectra to meet peak demand. As a result, Aqualectra is requesting proposals for temporary power solutions to meet the growing demand in 2024 and 2025. The contract for temporary power would last approximately two years, starting around May 2024. Aqualectra requested K&M’s commercial and technical advisory services to determine the least-cost configuration of capacity and electricity from the temporary power units generating assets and the CRU gas turbine.

K&M discussed the scenarios and sensitivities that would be most informative to analyze with Aqualectra. Using the agreed-upon scenarios, K&M adapted its existing generation and cost models for Aqualectra to perform the temporary power analysis. K&M ran and analyzed the models and presented the results, including the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the temporary power scenarios, the recommended configuration of the temporary power, the hourly dispatch of the generation assets, and all assumptions used in the analysis.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) retained K&M Advisors LLC to prepare and lead presentations on the impact of climate change on the water sector in the Caribbean, as well as challenges and ways forward in governance and financing aspects. These presentations set the stage for discussions on how water utilities can act wisely in view of the climate change impact on their business—the CWUIC SP, a first-of-its-kind resilience facility, being one of the notable means available for them to consider, and deal with the sector´s challenges related to governance and financing. These presentations highlighted the state of knowledge regarding climate research as synthesized in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including projections that the extreme weather events become more frequent and/or intense in all regions. These presentations were made at a session titled “Ministerial Roundtable 1: Water and Climate-Related Disasters” as well as another one titled “Panel Discussion 1: Governance and Innovative Financing” at the 2023 CWWA conference’s High-Level Forum held in October in Guyana.

In this assignment, K&M is responsible for:

• Recommending the approach for IDB presentations at the CWWA 2023 HLF
• Preparing presentation materials
• Lead presentations at HLF

Fogging System Analysis

SEPCO has indicated the power grid in Jordan has had difficulty covering peak loads observed during high-temperature periods. As a result, SEPCO has reviewed potential solutions for its Samra Power Plant to increase power plant generation during these peak periods.

SEPCO intent is to modify all seven gas turbines installed at the Samra Power Plant by installing a fogging system in the gas turbine inlet. This modification aims to increase plant power generation to help the power grid cover the peak loads during high-temperature periods. To evaluate the technical and commercial viability of the fogging system installation, SEPCO engaged K&M Advisors to review the design of generating units’ and auxiliary equipment and systems to evaluate their ability to support the increased power output during fogging system operation.

The purpose of this study is to:

• Verify whether existing auxiliary equipment of each of the phases is capable of supporting facility operation with the fogging systems, and
• Determine the demineralized water demand required for the fogging system.

Fogging System RFP Development

Once the technical viability of implementing the fogging system has been confirmed, SEPCO will need to develop an RFP for suppliers to submit their proposal for design that meets the requirements of applicable standards and good engineering practice. K&M will develop the RFP documentation for suppliers to ensure that the design of the system is adequate and technically sound.

Fogging System Analysis

K&M developed GateCycle models of combined cycle plants to calculate heat and material balances for different ambient temperatures without and with the fogging system. For each combination of the ambient temperature and fogging system status, K&M developed a spreadsheet summarizing the system power output and power output increase, heat rate and heat rate change, fogging system evaporation rate/demineralized water requirements, and other steam and water impacting operation of HRSG, steam turbine, ACC, and other auxiliary equipment that could be impacted by the fogging system. To analyze the demineralized system requirements, K&M calculated the fogging system demineralized water requirements and the total daily demineralized water demand and compared it with the demineralized water system capacity. We evaluated whether there is a deficit of demineralized water with fogging system operation and suggested the required additional demineralized water system capacity.

Fogging System RFP Development

K&M will assist SEPCO in developing the fogging system RFP. The RFP document prepared by K&M will include instructions to bidders, functional technical specification including the scope of supply and services and general technical requirements, and forms to be submitted by bidders. It is expected that the draft supply contract will be prepared to be included in the RFP will be based on the standard SEPCO’s supply contract, so no draft contract preparation is included in K&M’s scope. SEPCO will provide K&M with any available technical and commercial information received to date from the prospective fogging system suppliers.

Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) plans to renew the contracts for purchasing ULSD from Sol and Rubis. As part of this renewal, CUC wants to refine the fuel supply contracts used in the past and revisit if PLATTS is still the optimal fuel price index for CUC.

K&M will improve and refine the fuel supply agreements that CUC used in previous fuel supply tenders. K&M will also analyze if PLATTS is CUC’s optimal fuel price index. This analysis will include investigating which fuel price indices CUC’s fuel suppliers are likely to use to buy the fuel they supply to CUC and whether CUC would be better off using those indices rather than PLATTS. Based on this analysis, K&M will make specific recommendations on an appropriate fuel price adjustment formula.

K&M will assist CUC in developing new drafts of the primary and secondary fuel supply contracts that reflect the above improvements and refinements.

K&M will then assist CUC in preparing an RFP and reviewing and evaluating the proposals submitted by Sol and Rubis.

A private company had been considering the conversion and/or replacement of some of its existing diesel or coal-fired generation units, exploring the option of switching to Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). To assist with this evaluation, the company engaged K&M to develop a proposal for conducting a return-on-investment analysis for different scenarios related to HFO conversion or replacement.

The proposal encompassed the following components:

1. Conversion and newbuild technical analysis: This involved assessing the viability of converting existing units to HFO, considering factors such as technical feasibility, equipment compatibility, and potential modifications. Additionally, K&M conducted an analysis of newbuild HFO technology options, including the associated balance of plant (BoP) requirements and cost analysis.
2. Scenario analysis: K&M performed a comprehensive scenario analysis, examining various conversion and replacement options to determine their economic viability. This analysis considered factors such as capital costs, operational efficiency, fuel availability, and environmental impacts.
3. Implementation roadmap: K&M developed an implementation roadmap outlining the steps and timeline required for the execution of the selected HFO conversion or replacement strategy. This roadmap provided a structured approach to guide HSA in the successful implementation of the chosen scenario.

By conducting the return-on-investment analysis and providing a comprehensive proposal, K&M supported the private company in making informed decisions regarding the conversion or replacement of their existing diesel or coal-fired generation units with HFO. The analysis considered technical aspects and scenario evaluation and provided a roadmap for the implementation of the chosen strategy.

U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is working to implement the Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI) Regional Energy Procurement Program for South Asia (REPPSA) Virtual Training Series. The purpose of the REPPSA Virtual Training Series is to learn about innovative best-value procurement practices to support the development of high-quality energy infrastructure. The REPPSA Virtual Training Series is broken into a two-part training series focused on best practices in the procurement of energy infrastructure.

K&M was engaged by Green Powered Technology to develop and deliver USTDA-funded training sessions on Public Private Partnerships for Energy and Power Purchase Agreements. The workshops were designed to learn about innovative best-value procurement practices to support the development of high-quality energy infrastructure.

The K&M team developed training presentations and content and delivered virtual training sessions to public sector energy sector representatives from Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

K&M delivered virtual training sessions on use of PPPs for energy sectors, PPP planning, PPP procurement preparation and design including non-price evaluation factors, PPP implementation, role and development of PPA, development of bankable PPA, roles and best practices of key PPA provisions, and incorporation of non-price evaluation factors in PPA.

Saint Lucia had been experiencing increasingly severe weather systems, largely due to global climate change. These extreme weather events posed a threat to LUCELEC’s critical infrastructure. Recognizing that the current grid in St. Lucia was not built to withstand the strongest storms, particularly Category 5 and above, LUCELEC aimed to update its grid construction standards and implement measures to enhance system resilience. This was in response to the anticipated increase in severity and frequency of Atlantic storms resulting from climate change.

To prepare for these actions, LUCELEC enlisted the services of the K&M Team to conduct a comprehensive study addressing two key areas:

1. Establishing a method to measure the existing grid resilience and setting annual resilience targets.
2. Analyzing the electrical network infrastructure in St. Lucia through inspections, models, and other tools to identify a series of projects that would enhance the resilience of the transmission and distribution networks, generation assets, and LUCELEC’s solar farm.

Throughout the study, K&M developed a reliability metric to track LUCELEC’s progress in improving system resilience. This involved reviewing and analyzing system data, conducting interviews with LUCELEC’s senior staff, performing on-site visits, and identifying a prioritized pipeline of climate resilience projects. The ultimate objective was to enable LUCELEC to formulate a specific grid resilience improvement plan.

During the course of the study, K&M successfully developed a reliability metric that would allow LUCELEC to measure their progress in enhancing system resilience. They conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of system data, engaged in interviews with LUCELEC’s senior staff, conducted on-site visits, identified a pipeline of climate resilience projects, and prioritized them accordingly. The outcome of the study empowered LUCELEC to develop a targeted grid resilience improvement plan.

Sixth Street engaged K&M for a technical due diligence review of a new 940 MW natural gas-fired combined cycle electric generating facility in the Village of Lordstown, Trumbull County, OH. The project will feature a 2×1 configuration, employing two Siemens Energy SGT6-8000H 1.6 combustion turbine-generator units (CTGs), two Nooter/Eriksen heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and one Siemens steam turbine generator (STG). The facility, collectively known as the Power Island Equipment (PIE), may utilize Vogt or Siemens HTT HRSGs. Additionally, the project will incorporate supplemental firing and evaporative cooling for enhanced power output in specific conditions.

K&M conducted a technical due diligence review, focusing on the Independent Engineer’s report, EPC and O&M contracts, and financial model assumptions. Following the review, K&M prepared a memo identifying project risks and recommending adjustments to the financial model assumptions.