S05 TRME 4 2020 Genset Review_Layout 1 30/09/2020 11:56 Page 18
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Genset Review
Photo Credit : Hoda Bogdan/Adobe Stock
Generators provide the power for various types of construction equipment and lighting systems.
Energy innovations for a new era
New technologies, environmental performance and total reliability are all priorities for vital Gulf industries, from the construction sector to data centres. As a result, operators are seeking more and more from genset makers as business evolves in the era of the ‘new normal’. Martin Clark reports.
HILE BUSINESS IN the Middle East has been disrupted in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic – taking some of the sheen off the Gulf’s usually highperforming economies – there are reasons to remain upbeat. The region’s fundamentals include a robust demand for energy, which has fuelled massive investment in new power generation infrastructure in recent years. That’s expected to continue as economic activity begins to pick up once more. It is welcome news for manufacturers and distributors of generation sets (gensets) – the likes of Doosan, Perkins, FG Wilson and Volvo Penta – tasked with providing power to installations across the region, from oil and gas fields to construction sites. The Middle East’s genset market overall was faring well, at least until the pandemic
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struck in the early months the year. At an event at the end of 2019, to bring together its clients and partners from across the combined Africa and Middle East regions, leading industry player Himoinsa highlighted the dynamism of the market. Guillermo Elum, Himoinsa’s regional director, said these two highpotential markets accounted for 14% of the group’s total sales in 2018, “which we expect to grow by more than 10% in terms of turnover in the next few years.” While no one expected 2020 to turn out the way it did, many of the drivers underpinning such optimism remain intact – from the Gulf’s growing, youthful populations, through to various multibillion dollar, statesponsored development project rollouts. As well as continued investment in large
Technical Review Middle East - Issue Four 2020
scale power generation, and fuelling interest in renewables and other alternatives, it is likely to support demand for traditional genset solutions as well, which boast a tried and trusted track record in the field. The beauty of such machines is not only in their power and dependability, but their versatility and rapid installation where needed. After the tragedy of the Beirut port explosion in August, Kohler SDMO moved swiftly to help meet the energy needs of locals and infrastructure. It responded by working with Électriciens Sans Frontières to meet the basic energy needs of nearby residents, then teaming up with partner MIDIS to supply a full 40foot container of 20 kVA generators to the affected area. www.technicalreview.me
