The company has close workingrelationships with all the engine andalternator manufacturers to offerclients an independent option in the

installation of multi-engine plant installations inthe 10 – 40 MWe range.

Historically, these plants have been formining, port and industrial companies locatedin remote locations across Southern and WestAfrica, with the Power Systems Service (PSS)UK-based operation providing the technicalhub for the operations, geared to supportingthe consultancy, installation and servicingoperations in Africa.

Now, the company is expanding itsoperations in the UK and Europe to offer itsconstruction and operations services forclients implementing large engine power plantemploying both standard fuels - such asnatural gas and renewable fuels technologies- with a number of large gas and dieselengine-based schemes under development.In the UK the company already services andinstalls standby generators on close to 200sites in the UK.

Power Systems Service’s first contract waswith AngloGold in an EPCM capacity, working

on the Sadiola Gold Mine project in Mali in1995.

Since then, it has invested substantially inpeople, plant, tools and equipment requiredfor the construction of reciprocating enginedriven power stations.

Today, it is able to offer discrete engineeringservices or complete lump sum turnkeycontracts from internal resources to doPre-Design stage feasibility, DetailedEngineering, Procurement, Constructionincluding ground works, Civil, StructuralFabrication and Erection, Mechanical andPiping, HV / LV / Control / InstrumentationElectrical, Commissioning and Start-up,Operation and Maintenance of generatorinstallations.

This also includes any associatedequipment such as CHP, steam boilers,biomass, pyrolysis, gasification etc. andother novel fuels.

One of the company’s particular strengthsis its lean management by fully-qualifiedengineers, with all the skills, such aselectrical, mechanical, civil and structuralexpertise in one organization. It can provideon-schedule, high standard generatorinstallations and subsequent servicing.

Craig Arnold, MD for Power SystemsService (PSS), told UKPN: “To ensure weoffer the best possible service, we restrictedourselves in the past specifically to the miningsector - which we understand intimately andgeographically. We worked on operationswhich are focussed in the Southern andWestern African region where we have adeep understanding of the logistical andgeopolitical challenges, as well as havingdaily direct access from our UK hub.’

In this specific niche, Power SystemsService offers industry-leading constructionand engineering knowledge with provenexperience of providing solutions which meetits customers’ design, project and servicerequirements.

Over the last 10 years, the company hasbeen delivering solutions to both simple andcomplex power engineering problems withthe same high level of service. The PSS

engineers focus on combining the client’sspecific needs, their own considerableexperience, best practice, moderntechnology, & a solid understanding of theeconomics and management of power plantinfrastructure, to ensure that projects makeclients’ electrical power systems moreefficient, reliable, cost-effective and safe.

Power Systems Service is one of fewcompanies able to offer the complete‘engineering life cycle’ - it can design, supply,install, commission and provide operationand maintenance for ongoing needs.

This commitment to ongoing operationsand maintenance support presents aninvaluable opportunity to validate designsand re-evaluate the detailed designs toensure that they meet clients’ needs in themost efficient, cost effective way possible.

By returning regularly to service theequipment the company has systems tocapture the lessons for improving plants inan ongoing virtuous cycle.

Craig Arnold reports: “Power interruptionscost a mining company millions of dollarsand our clients all share a common view ofthe strategic value of reliable power to theirbottom line.

“Based on a dynamic and professionalservice culture we focus on deliveringcustomer-oriented, value-added solutionswhich directly impact system reliability, andwe have been fortunate to deliver more than400MW of projects in the past 10 years intothis area.” he comments.

“We believe that this complete systembased approach, and the rigor required forworking in remote locations, has helped usbuild unique competences, systems andexperience which are ideally suited to thegrowing UK market for renewable fuelspowered plants.

He says: “We have paid our ‘school fees’and built the resources so that we can nowuse this experience to grow our UKoperations. We are confident that we havethe people, tools and knowledge to ensurethat the UK projects will be delivered with thesame quality and consistency.”

24 SPRING 2015 UK POWER NEWS

“We workcollaborativelywith our clientsto ensure theirspecific needsare identif ied,addressed andmet with the

singularpurpose of

ensuring theyget the mostout of their

power systemonce it is

constructed. “

­ Craig Arnold,MD, Power

SystemsService

Power Systems Service is a privately­owned generator and power station designer,installer, operator and maintainer. Headquartered in the UK, with offices in Surrey andBedfordshire, it employs 240 people across locations in UK, South Africa, Ghana andBurkina Faso, and is expanding into the UK in the field of CHP, waste­to­energy and inrenewable plants, reports UKPN.

Company Profile

- a trustedpartner for

design, supply,construction

&maintenance

PowerSystemsService

REVISED.PSS COMPANY.PROFILE.p.24:page 17 - 18 CHP Update.qxd 29/04/2015 15:53 Page 1

PSS’s Craig Arnold said: “The principalfocus of Power Systems Service isdelivering customer-oriented, value-addedsolutions which meet and exceed thecustomer’s individual needs and will have apositive impact on their overall systemreliability.” He comments: “Our competitive advantagerelies not only on the knowledge andexperience of our people physicallydelivering the work, but also on our expertiseas a designer, supplier and installer ofequipment. “Our staff are not blindly implementing a

design from customer-supplied drawings,instead they understand the principles ofoperation and will question or offer advicewhere possible problems or improvementsare identified.” He points out: “A key priority of our designand procurement team is to apply theknowledge we have accumulated over theyears to ensuring that our customer’srequirements are strictly met and we arefully committed to offering them the bestvalue for money from our industries majormanufacturers, suppliers and distributors.

“The mantle is then passed to ourengineers and artisans who will activelyengage with the client design and deliveryteam through the construction to incorporatelessons we have learnt on previous projectsinto the fabric of these power plants toensure that the client’s need for reliablepower can properly be met once theconstruction has been completed.

Craig Arnold reports: “The O&M teamsthen ensures the equipment is maintained infull compliance with the manufacturer’srecommendations and our own experience.

“This is fully traceable through our onlineasset management system so the clientshave full visibility about the status andcondition of all equipment at all times so notonly are we doing the work transparently, butwe are also clearly communicating all that

for our clients internal risk management.”Dave Andrews of Power Systems Service

explains: “Just as we aimed to be the firstchoice for key Generated Power Solutiondesign, construction and implementation,technical support and operation in themining industry in South and West Africaback in 2005, so we intend to offer the sameservice and commitment to the growing UKrenewable fuels generation market today.”

The PSS UK office already provides thecore technical design, procurement andlogistics services to the operatingcompanies and is also a centre for thetechnical escalation for more complexproblems, so having this epicentre close tothe new projects offers extra advantages. PSS’s engineering capabilities are alreadyaligned to the fact that there is no such thingas a ‘typical client’ - and each client’s need isassessed on an individual basis, anapproach well-suited to the challenges ofvaried fuels and processes.

Furthermore, having the operation andmaintenance business unit also allows thecompany to assimilate key construction staffinto its business when their specific skillsare not required, retaining & strengtheningthe knowledge base within the company andkeeping their skills available. At the same time, by having a particular

geographical focus PSS can quickly drawresources together and mobilise staff tosatisfy immediate customer needs veryrapidly.Lastly, to address concerns about the size

of the company balance sheet wherelenders require specific guarantees andindemnities, a framework agreement wasrecently put in place to support the work withthe financial strength of strategic partnerGroup 5 (http://www.g5.co.za).

Group 5 is a listed South African multi-discipline engineering company which isactive in this same market for larger sizeprojects (50MW+).

SPRING 2015 UK POWER NEWS 25

Company Profile

Each project is unique and the process flow& services will proceed in the following way:

* PRE-DESIGN STAGE: The companybegins work with a full project analysis andconsultation to understand the client’s keyobjectives and targets for the project.

* DESIGN STAGE: The output from thedesign stage is a fully detailed and signed offset of construction drawings & specificationswhich allows the tender process to beconcluded quickly, and drawings issued forthe build.

* LOGISTICS AND OFFLOADING: Allsourcing of components, piping, steelwork,cable and any other ancillary items ismanaged through our procurement andlogistics service.

* CIVIL AND GROUNDWORKS: The civiland groundworks operations will take agreenfield or brownfield site from a barepiece of land (or even including removingexisting infrastructure), through all thenecessary geotechnical works.

* STRUCTURAL ERECTION: To avoidthe need for any high lifts and to ensurecrane access for the heavy lifts, PSSgenerally proposes that the Engines,Alternators, Base frames, fuel pressuriza-tion skid modules and combined coolingmodules are positioned on the foundations.

* PIPING AND WELDING: A dedicatedfabrication shop is established on site toprepare the supports and platforms for allpiping.

* ELECTRICAL & INSTRUMENTATION:As soon as there is clear access aroundeach generator package, the installation andtermination of MV, LV, control & instrumentcables will commence.

* FINISHING & COMMISSIONING: Aftercompletion of the construction work andprior to hand over to the operations team,the internal finishing of the powerhouse willbe completed to the highest standard.

* OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE:Following completion of the construction,installation and commissioning service -PSS can provide an ongoing support ser-vice – performing operation and mainte-nance of the power plant and supporting thecustomers through the full spectrum of theengineering life cycle.

* SAFETY HEALTH ENVIRONMENT ANDQUALITY: Power Systems Service hasdocumented and practiced policies forhealth, safety and quality managementwhich are subject to continuous reviewagainst operation procedures and interna-tional standards for safety and work sys-tems. PSS has had zero lost time injuries inthe past 5 years.www.pssquared.co.uk

“We aim to bethe first

choice in theUK for turnkeynatural gas &

renewablefuels basedPower Plant

design,construction,

technicalsupport andoperation in

the 2 to 20MWrange within

the next 5years. ”

­ DaveAndrews, PSS

Biogreen®‐ETIA continuous pyrolysis in a mobile container. Capacity 1 t/hr RDF; output net 1,3‐1,6 MWe for export.

PSS PREVIOUS INSTALLATIONS >10MW

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