Zest WEG is supplying a complete substation E-house to Sasol’s Upstream PSA gas project currently under construction in the Inhambane Province of southern Mozambique. Zest WEG, part of the global WEG group, will manufacture the complete E-house in South Africa to deliver to the Sasol site in Mozambique in the last quarter of 2023.
A modular E-house housing multiple MV variable speed drives.
Lukas Barnard, Business Development Specialist at Zest WEG for the oil and gas sector in sub-Saharan Africa, says the contract also includes locally manufactured transformers and a diesel generator set – and is being procured by EPCM contractor, Wood. The PSA (Production Sharing Agreement) development is an integrated oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and gas project. It will supply a 450-megawatt gas-fired power plant and an LPG facility in Mozambique, as well as export gas to Sasol’s operations in South Africa.
“This is an exciting project for the southern African region and we are proud to be part of a development with such an important energy impact,” says Barnard. “We are also pleased to be partnering with the well-respected engineering firm Proconics.”
The complete substation E-house package measures 45 m by 22 m and contains medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) switchgear, a battery room, a local equipment room and an HVAC system. It will be manufactured and pre-assembled in Zest WEG’s advanced local manufacturing facility in Heidelberg, Gauteng.
This room in an E-house accommodates LV MCCs and VSD.
“This large and complex structure will include staircases and platforms as it will be elevated 2.1 m above ground for ease of cable entry,” Barnard says. “The design will accommodate the uneven ground on site by adjusting each corner to the precise metres-above-sea-level elevations.”
After factory acceptance tests (FATs) are conducted, the structure will be dismantled for delivery and reconstructed on site.
Barnard highlights the quality and cost benefit of the E-house option, which can be built and tested under factory conditions. This enhances safety and avoids the costs, risks and logistics of having multiple teams on site for extended periods to build an equivalent brick-and-mortar structure to house the substation and all related equipment.
Given the humid and corrosive coastal environment, the E-house will be constructed using 3CR12 stainless steel. Barnard notes that the manufacturing and testing of the E-house will be conducted to Sasol’s stringent standards and requirements.
The supply package also includes one 1 250 kVA Zest WEG diesel generator set for backup power, and two 2.5 MVA 6.6/0.42 kV distribution transformers.
“Again, these aspects of the contract showcase our local manufacturing capabilities,” says Barnard. “The gensets will be manufactured in our dedicated facility in Cape Town, and the transformers will be built in Zest WEG’s Wadeville facility.”
Zest WEG will also be supplying the heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system to control the temperatures inside the E-house and ensure optimal functioning of all components. He highlights that the company’s experience in E-house design and construction has given it a significant competitive advantage as demand for such solutions has grown.
For more information visit: www.zestweg.com