Breaking the biogas barrier in Central America

Building an optimised power plant is just another day at the office for Semco Maritime. But there is something less routine about the latest completion in Nejapa, El Salvador. This 6,345MW plant, engineered to harness energy from a local landfill, is the first of its kind in Central America for Semco Maritime.

Landfill gas technology represents an exciting and growing industry solution, and one that addresses several issues. In a landfill, organic waste decomposes and emits a gas that is up to 60 percent methane.

If a site is not engineered to harness the gas, it can be hazardous to the environment, building up and slowly seeping into the atmosphere and even local groundwater. Unchecked, landfill gas is also a volatile and highly potent greenhouse gas.

Fortunately, it is also a reliable source of energy. The Semco-constructed Nejapa plant will not only help to control these environmental contaminants, but will also harness the natural energy that the landfill produces 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 

“What we have constructed is green, biogas power plant technology,” Hans Henrik Andersen, Semco Maritime Vice President and head of Energy Infrastructure explains. “And it really shows what Semco Maritime can do in the region.”

In Central America, the market for power plants is rapidly expanding, and Semco Maritime has been breaking new ground. Semco Maritime now adds the biogas plant in Nejapa and recent successful construction in Guatemala to their regional portfolio.

“This was an exciting project in a market that has a lot of potential,” says Jan Clausen from Semco Maritime’s Central American division in Guatemala. “And Semco Maritime has a good reputation as a high-quality supplier, which gives us an advantage.”

The client, American company AES, were looking for exactly that kind of reliability in the construction of the biogas plant. From engineering and planning, to procurement and construction, they were happy to let Semco Maritime do what they do  best.  

“It’s a lot of work, but that’s what we do,” notes Hans Henrik. “We are very comfortable with these turnkey projects for our clients.”

While the scope of the Nejapa project was not the largest Semco Maritime has dealt with, it was complex, so focus on detail remained paramount.

“It required the same amount of equipment as a much larger project,” Hans Henrik explains, “and the potential complications were the same.” 

Enforcing AES and Semco Maritime’s high safety standards proved to be an early hurdle. With nearly 200 local workers on the project, cultural differences had to be addressed. “Any country you go to, the local attitudes will be different,” says Hans Henrik. “Sometimes those differences can make it harder to implement the standards we require.”

Safety regulation on the project demanded additional screening and strict oversight, but the high standards were maintained without impeding progress on the biogas plant. “We still completed construction in about a year,” Hans Henrik notes, “which is quick for a project of this nature.”