This month, compressor and generator rental company Rand-Air purchased four of sustainable productivity solutions provider Atlas Copco’s TwinPower generators as part of its rental offering its clients.

This containerised generator solution gives a compact footprint, versatility, optimised performance and good fuel economy in demanding modular power plant applications. In addition, the two modules inside the container can be synchronised so that it is possible to supply either 1 100 kVA or 550 kVA – a cost and fuel-saving option for the customer.

"Many of our customers prefer to have one self-contained unit on site, as opposed to two 550 kVA generators in sync," explains Rand-Air fleet manager Craig Swart.

The footprint of the container is smaller than two 550 kVA generators; and having the generators in containers protects them against extreme weather conditions.

The company is able to supply the TwinPower solution to a wide geographic area.

"Rand-Air's introduction of the new TwinPower containerised generators will give our mining customers – particularly those in remote locations – the peace of mind and convenience of having reliable, versatile temporary power just a phone call away," adds Swart.

On the question of whether the new generators will meet contemporary power needs and challenges, he explains that Rand-Air generators definitely have an important application, and are not only hired by mines, petrochemical and other industrial customers, but also by organisations such as municipalities or power utilities.

This generally occurs in instances where the regular mains power supply is out of action for some considerable period, or where there might be concerns about the consistency of supply from the national grid.

"Our TwinPower units offer mining operations for example considerable versatility as we can synchronise a number of our containerised units to provide sufficient power for even a major mining operation," he continues, adding that having this option would give a mine that all-important peace of mind.

Rand-Air's turnkey solution further relieves its long-term rental customers of the concern about finding suitable temporary power. The units are delivered to site and Rand-Air technicians make sure they are working to the customer's complete satisfaction. "All the customer needs to do is switch the power on, and continue uninterrupted with their core business," he continues.

Regarding the company's knowledge of the mining industry, for more than four decades, Rand-Air has built up considerable expertise and experience in supplying mines with temporary power, particularly for critical mine shutdown operations.

Rand-Air is aware of the critical nature of supplying the right size and the correct level of service backup too, which is available at any given time.

"A further benefit that mines receive when dealing with Rand-Air is that, with our long experience, we have a very good working knowledge of the various mines' safety requirements enabling us to fully comply with these," he elaborates.

In fact, Rand-Air has its own in-house Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) manager, who ensures that SHEQ compliance meets all required standards. "In our dealings with mines, Rand-Air has increasingly noted that they want to deal with suppliers which are able to effectively mitigate any operational or SHEQ-related risk," Swart emphasises.

In an emergency where a mine might need replacement power generation immediately, Rand-Air is able to respond very promptly to customer emergencies.