If you are lucky enough to be planning or running a site that is close to a population centre, then it is feasible for you to connect to the main power grid. Particularly in the case of oil and gas projects, however unfortunately, the site is commonly hundreds if not thousands of miles away from a power grid, making any connection to the grid unfeasible. There are, however, a number of options for you, each with their benefits and detractions.
If connecting to a power grid is not an option, the next thing to consider is harnessing natural resources such as hydro, wind, solar or thermal power for use at the site. Unfortunately, wind and solar technology has not reached the point where they are likely to provide sufficient power for a resource site. Each are dependent on dynamic weather patterns, and while battery technology has made leaps and bounds in recent years, their applicability to large or medium scale oil and gas projects is untenable.
Hydro power is an attractive option, but unless you find your project near a pre-existing dam, building one from scratch can be costly and prohibitive. Thermal power is another possible option, but again can be cost-prohibitive and lack the portability that electrical generators can provide. The latter option, electrical generators, are by far the most reliable, popular and well-used option of the above.
Generators can be shipped to even the most remote site via a variety of transport options, and run on either oil or gas, meaning that as long as you ensure a steady supply, you are less likely to encounter an outage. In some instances, the generator units can be power by the gas that is being harvested, which cuts down massively on overhead costs. Backup generators can ensure that in the unlikely event of a failure, commonly mitigated through proper training and maintenance, your project never suffers from an unplanned outage. If your project encounters unexpected growth, the ease at which generators can be procured means that growth can proceed at its natural rate, rather than being encumbered by a lack of generator capacity.
To get a full overview of your power generation options at your site, get in contact with a power generation expert for an assessment of your project and an outline of your options and the generators that would be best suited to your use case.
