GE gets order for 115 biogas engines from Italy's AB

US conglomerate General Electric Co (NYSE:GE) on Tuesday said Italy-based AB Holding SpA has ordered 115 of its Jenbacher biogas engines.

The Italian company will offer the engines, which have a combined capacity of 115 MW, to agricultural sector customers in Italy as an alternative to upgrading existing engines at their sites.

AB's repowering service initiative comes in response to slowing demand for agricultural biogas projects following a 2012 boom, driven by government incentives.

To avoid several days of downtime, AB will replace a customer's installed engine when it reaches its time for a minor overhaul with one of its latest Jenbacher units. The operator's first engine will be overhauled at AB's Orzinuovi site and later will be returned to service during the next scheduled engine overhaul.

The order follows a multi-year deal between GE and AB struck in 2011 for the Italian company to use Jenbacher engines for agricultural biogas projects across Europe. AB currently owns an estimated 1,100 Jenbacher engines, according to the announcement.

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