Bladon Micro Turbine (“Bladon”, “the Company”), the pioneer in the design, development, engineering and manufacture of micro turbine gensets (“MTGs”), announced that it has signed a production supply agreement with GRIDSERVE®, the international provider and operator of critical power infrastructure solutions. They launched their partnership in Dubai at the influential TowerXchange Meetup MENA 2019, the event for leaders in the telecom towers industry.
The multi-million pound, five-year contract will see the pioneering Bladon MTG12 integrated into GRIDSERVE’s 12kW solar hybrid power solution, SolarEnergyCentre®(SEC12).
This partnership see further progress in Bladon’s efforts to provide long life, ultra-efficient distributed power to telecom towers around the world. The new product, the SEC12-MT will see Bladon’s game-changing technology paired with bifacial solar panels and cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries to produce a hybrid unit that delivers reliable, low operating cost, low impact, clean power generation to telecom towers.
This early contract win follows the launch of Bladon’s MTG12 at TowerXchange Africa in October 2018 and demonstrates increasing demand for the MTG12 for the telecom towers market. The integration is now underway, and the product will be deployed later this year into selected regions that GRIDSERVE operate in.
Bladon believes that its MTG12, which incorporates advanced jet engine technology, is poised to take over from conventional diesel gensets in this market. The Bladon MTG offers superior performance, cleaner emissions and compelling commercial advantages compared with the existing equivalent product, typically a conventional diesel generator.
Paul Barrett, CEO of Bladon Micro Turbine, said: “We are really pleased to be working with GRIDSERVE as we step up our production in 2019. Not only do they have a wealth of experience in the industry and international reach, but they share our vision of replacing the conventional diesel generator with ultra-efficient, low emission, distributed power solutions in the telecom towers market. We look forward to seeing the rollout of their new product, with the MTG12 integrated, later this year.”
Heston Harper, co-CEO of GRIDSERVE, said: “Bladon’s micro turbine technology delivers a combination of advantages that we have been unable to find in traditional combustion engine diesel gensets. Its long service interval fits perfectly with plans to deliver the lowest opex in the tower power arena while dramatically lowering carbon emissions. In Bladon we have found a partner totally aligned with our pioneering stance and our commitment to pushing boundaries and doing things differently to attain a truly sustainable future for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
According to Kieron Osmotherly, CEO of TowerXchange, since 2010 independent tower companies have expanded into Sub Saharan Africa, acquiring 40 per cent of Mobile Network Operators’ cell sites, driving at least two tenants per tower, unlocking substantial operational efficiencies, and delivering against challenging Service Level Agreements.
“With the announcements of landmark tower deals between Zain and IHS in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, driven by the search for operational efficiency, the towerco revolution is extending into MENA. We forecast that out of 180,000 towers, towercos will own and operate 30,000 MENA towers by this time next year.”