• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Engineering Designer Magazine

Engineering Designer

  • Home
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Sustainability
  • Materials
  • Medical
  • Construction
  • Advertise
  • iED
You are here: Home / Sustainability / British company to design green gas-to-power barges for Greek islands

British company to design green gas-to-power barges for Greek islands

January 18, 2023 by Geordie Torr

London-based design and engineering consultancy Houlder is collaborating with Blue Sea Power, an integrated energy solution provider as a gas-to-power company based in Athens, to develop innovative floating liquid-natural-gas-to-power barges to provide greener power to three Greek islands, aiming to have them operational by 2025.

According to the two companies, the barges will efficiently provide greener, lower emission baseload and peak power to the non-interconnected islands of Kos, Chios and Lesvos. The plan is to use the power when the existing renewable solar and wind energy systems reach their technical limits. The barges will replace the existing diesel and heavy fuel oil power generation infrastructure, which is outdated and inefficient, while complying with regulations set out in EU and Greek climate legislation.

Advertisement

In the current phase, Houlder will design the barge to a level that will achieve approval in principle by the class society, Lloyd’s Register, and will support Blue Sea Power in creating the design package required for securing suitable tenders from shipyards for eventual construction. 

Houlder has already completed the key decision studies on the main power generation engine selection, a cargo containment system, design standardisation, options for greenhouse gas reduction and efficiency strategies, and capital expenditure. It has also carried out an environmental study that looked at elements such as the impact on seawater temperature and noise pollution.

Advertisement

Houlder says that it will incorporate innovative, specialist solutions to meet and even exceed EU Taxonomy regulations on greenhouse gas emissions for new power plants in Greece, which limit emissions to 270 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour or a 20-year average of 550 kgCO2/kWh.

EU funding will cover a substantial part of the capital expenditure for the project as it qualifies for its Reconciliation Recovery Fund. And because the projects are environmental, social and governance compliant, the team has secured green financing from multiple banks and investors.

Advertisement

Although the project will make use of proven technologies, specific innovations will also be included in order to improve efficiency, include maximising the recovery of waste heat from the exhaust and using waste heat recovered from the engine’s cooling water system to generate fresh water for export. The barges will also maximise the recovery of cold energy from the evaporation of liquid natural gas and use variable-frequency drives to improve the efficiency of the onboard motors.

The team expects to incorporate an onboard cryogenic carbon capture system. The engines will run on a hydrogen production blend, ready to further improve sustainability as the technology to enable this matures. There will also be scope to factor and blend bio-LNG and renewable synthetic e-LNG into the supply chain to further reduce emissions.

According to the partners, there’s potential to develop several more barges and even scale up the projects to efficiently provide other Greek islands and EU locations with green energy.

Advertisement

‘Floating LNG power barges are greener than traditional power generation infrastructure and, with novel integrated design and engineering developments, we can make energy production even more efficient and sustainable,’ said Jonathan Strachan, Houlder’s ship design and engineering director.

‘We have obtained electricity production licenses from the regulator for Kos, Chios and Lesvos and we have developed a strong approach to provide all three islands with greener, lower-emission power, said Konstantinos Mitropoulos, founding partner of Blue Sea Power. ‘Houlder has been an invaluable partner. The team has leading technical expertise in sustainability-centric design and engineering and has worked in a practical approach, which has also complemented the Blue Sea Power project delivery expertise.’

Advertisement

‘While floating liquid-natural-gas-to-power integrated power barge is a solution that may appear novel in its approach, it utilises proven tried-and-tested equipment to reduce associated design and construction risks,’ said Mark Graham, Blue Sea Power’s director of projects. ‘This near-shore solution, along with its modular design and shipyard construction, also presents many repeatability benefit opportunities on CAPEX, OPEX and construction schedule savings.’

Filed Under: Sustainability

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE And get a FREE Magazine

Want a FREE magazine each and every month jam-packed with the latest engineering and design news, views and features?

ED Update Magazine

Simply let us know where to send it by entering your name and email below. Immediate access.

Trending

New research could unlock the potential of bladeless wind turbines

Fog harp gets an upgrade

Rethinking design creativity through generative AI

Rice University students win global design contest with cutting-edge haptic wristband

A new metal design for solid-state batteries

Engineers explore the use of robots in chemistry labs

New design brings zero-emission aviation a step closer

Researchers develop ultrasonic wireless battery charging technology

New algorithm promises improved joint designs

Academic develops digital tool with the potential to transform traditional product testing

Footer

About Engineering Designer

Engineering Designer is the quarterly journal of the Insitution of Engineering Designers.

It is produced by the IED for our Members and for those who have an interest in engineering and product design, as well as CAD users.

Click here to learn more about the IED.

Other Pages

  • Contact us
  • About us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • Institution of Engineering Designers

Search

Tags

ied

Copyright © 2025 · Site by Syon Media