KGE provides not only the equipment, but a solution to the clients

Cristian Athanasovici, Business Development Manager, Kawasaki Gas Turbine Europe

Kawasaki Gas Turbine Europe GmbH (KGE) is dynamically expanding its business in the region of South-Eastern Europe. Last year you opened an official Romanian Office in Bucharest. What are your future plans for further presence in the region?

First of all I would like to have a deeper knowledge about the energy rules in Bulgaria, to identify the strategy of industrial sector and their energy needs. Also I have to identify the local companies who can partner us in developing of cogeneration projects. This subject is quite sensitive and it is necessary to be in a close relation with the consumers, to follow their needs and to create a project.

What are the key technological and user benefits of your solutions? What makes your offer special and unique?

The full technical information about our products is available on KGE website - www.kawasaki-gasturbine.de.
But I want to accent on is the fact that we are manufacturing both types of cogeneration technology: gas turbines and gas engines. Beside classic cogeneration projects (using natural gas) we are testing a gas turbine which can burn hydrogen. We are very responsible to environmental problems.
In my opinion, an important feature of our solutions is they are not standard. We customize our solutions according to the customer needs, according to the site conditions. That is why we have projects in different industrial sectors. Among the most challenging projects for KGE are hospitals, refineries, projects located in touristic areas or near to seaside because of the salty air.

Together with our partners, we can provide not only the equipment, but a solution for our clients. A solution for a cogeneration plant can start from pre-feasibility study, then follow the concept and it the end - the entire concept design. Then, we build up the power plant and also provide the long term service and maintenance agreement.

You were among the exhibitors at the EE & RES exhibition in Sofia for the first time. What was the most interesting for the visitors, what products attracted their attention? What are your impressions on the Bulgarian market? 

The Bulgarian market is very interesting. I am coming from Romania and I know both countries had in the past same concept about energy approach, technology, industry and so on. So, according to my knowledge and information about Bulgarian market, I can see KGE finding a place in your market. Bulgaria has potential, rules for energy efficiency, and is a member of EU. All these reasons makes me confident about KGE good business future in Bulgaria.

For the visitors all our products were interesting because can be used in district heating systems, in industrial sectors which processes require steam or heat, in electricity production facilities. Also our hydrogen gas turbine development is interesting for future development of smart community technology.

What are the most interesting projects of KGE in Romania and the region?

Our projects in Romania, which are currently running, are in industry and in district heating sector. KGE also has other 3 projects, all of them in industry. But the most difficult project is a trigeneration plant for a chemical facility plant. It is a real challenge for us, as we have to simulate the running of our equipment in order to answer the request of industrial processes imposed by the customer. The second big challenge of this project is its location. We have to customise the design according to the site conditions. Together with our partners, we are doing a state-of-the-art in order to respect the customer needs and requirements. 
In our region of activity we have 2 projects which are in a good development process. One of the projects is in a cosmetic facility production plant and the other one is in electricity production facility.

For all projects we have to stay close to the customers. We have to support them with all information and knowledge in order to have, all together, a very good project with high energy efficiency and high profitability. And after the project is completed we are next to the customer to provide with maintenance and service. Our vision is to continue to help and support the customer after the plant started up.

How would you evaluate your experience and impressions of working with your partners on these projects?

We have very good experience with our partners. They are very skilled, very flexible in solutions and more - they are open minded to adapt the solutions to customer needs. We have some traditional partners with whom we work together to optimise our solutions and services. Often, after the plant start up or during operation, we precise and improve small details which results in better performance.