NEC XON provides Malawi Fertilizer Company with Hybrid Power

​Herman Viljoen, GM Renewables and storage at NEC XON

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 NEC XON has provided the Malawi Fertilizer Company (MFC) with a state-of-the-art Hybrid Power System (HPS) to protect MFC’s investment in new infrastructure in Nacala, Liwonde and Blantyre. According to Mark Chapman, MFC Liwonde Plant Manager, the system’s design is comprehensive and of excellent quality - and the NEC XON team’s work ethic is exceptional with problem solving skills par excellence. “No challenge is too big for them. Remote system monitoring is excellent and teams are always on standby to assist,” he says.

The underlying aim was to improve business efficiency on the Nacala corridor. MFC blends and supplies NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilizer mixtures for the region’s agricultural sector.

Wanted: Consistent, Clean Energy
“The new Liwonde facility is a modern, 15 000m2 structure with a bagging capacity of 2000 metric tons per day and a production capacity of 1000 metric tons per day,” says Herman Viljoen, GM Renewables and storage at NEC XON. “One of the main challenges faced at Liwonde is consistent, clean energy supply. MFC approached NEC XON to provide and install the hybrid energy plant with backup capacity to support the facility’s operations.”
 
The system includes a 321.5kWp photovoltaic (PV) farm, 668.8kWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), AC infrastructure, 550 kVA generator, and an Energy Management System (EMS) that can be remotely monitored and controlled. 
 
Innovative, technology-driven solution
Viljoen explains that the HPS combines various power sources into one system. The EMS controls the various sources and ensures that the site is supplied with power at all times, while reducing the cost of running the system with functions like peak shaving and time of use management. The HPS switches seamlessly between on and off-grid supply, depending on the grid’s availability and quality of the supply, ensuring that critical equipment is protected.
 
The BESS, along with solar energy, allows the site to be powered while the grid is unavailable and uses the excess power to charge the BESS. If the solar is unable to fully charge the BESS during load-shedding, the generator is started based on the State of Charge (SOC). When grid power returns, the site seamlessly switches back. 
 
Remarkable results
The site was commissioned in February 2023. The HPS reduces the cost of energy, enhances energy supply quality, protects equipment, supports energy-sensitive applications and reduces carbon emissions. “MFC has achieved a huge reduction in diesel and generator maintenance costs,” Viljoen concludes.