First Dual-Fuel Engines for Japanese Power Segment Enter Service

Two MAN 12V51/60DF engines ordered by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI) in 2020 have entered service in Japan’s domestic power market. The engines are based at the Miyako Island power plant, owned and operated by the Okinawa Electric Power Company (OEPC).

The engines will generate around 24 MW of electrical power for not only base-load, but also for peak-shaving the power demand of the small holiday island and its 50,000 inhabitants, improving efficiency as well as drastically reducing emissions compared with the previous installation.

Martin Höhler, Head of Power, Region Asia-Pacific, at MAN Energy Solutions, said: “The Miyako order is a first for the Japanese power-generation market as these MAN units are the very first dual-fuel engines to be installed in the entire country. They will mainly run on natural gas and their dual-fuel flexibility and reliability is perfectly suited for delivering an independent power supply in remote regions.” 

The Covid-19 pandemic proved to be the biggest hurdle to commissioning the Miyako project with Japan fully closing its borders to foreign nationals earlier in 2021. As a result, MAN Energy Solutions drafted an alternative plan in conjunction with MAN Japan and used local personnel for the commissioning – backed up remotely by technical staff from Europe – with the project ultimately proceeding smoothly and on schedule.

KHI is one of MAN Energy Solutions’ longest-standing partners in Japan with a mutual history dating back to 1911. Similarly, OEPC worked with MAN Energy Solutions more recently when two MAN 18V48/60B engines were installed at a power plant on the neighbouring island of Ishigaki.