Nebraska Public Power District, Wärtsilä, LUT to develop business case for alternative fuels

Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), technology group Wärtsilä and Finland’s Lappeenranta University of Technology recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of a business case for the use of alternative fuels with Wärtsilä generating sets.

The groups signed the MOU Tuesday in Venice, Italy during Wärtsilä’s Smart Energy Leaders Forum.

The business case aims to establish a technically and commercially viable solution that will enable NPPD to proceed with an industrial scale pilot project. The specified alternative fuels include methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), ammonia and hydrogen. The parties envision that the project will result in the conversion of hydrogen to methanol using CO2. The methanol could then be burned as fuel to produce electricity.

“We are delighted to be working with Wärtsilä on this very important project. By converting hydrogen to methanol, it will be possible to use this as fuel in Wärtsilä engines,” NPPD CEO and President Pat Pope said. “This has dual benefits since it helps us commercially while at the same time promoting an environmentally sustainable means for producing electricity.”

The parties will work together to assess performance and commercial information on the various fuel capabilities of Wärtsilä engines, provide input for the economic model and develop an economic evaluation model.

“This collaboration between our two companies is fully in line with our Smart Energy Vision for sustainable power generation,” Mikael Backman, regional director for the United States and Canada at Wärtsilä Energy Solutions, said. “The energy sector is changing for all stakeholders, and Wärtsilä is harnessing its extensive capabilities to lead that change.”