mtu gas gensets from Rolls-Royce supply electricity for Africa’s first rice straw MDF production facility

Rolls-Royce has commissioned ten mtu gas gensets in the Beheira province in northern Egypt to supply the Egyptian Wood Technology Company's (WOTECH) production plant with electricity. Since there is no access to the public grid, WOTECH relies entirely on the 20-cylinder mtu gas gensets, which together have a total output of 25 megawatts.

The factory produces medium-density fibreboard (MDF) from rice straw, which is used for furniture and buildings. Supported by Egypt's petroleum ministry, the plant avoids the usual practice of burning rice straw, which is a by-product of rice cultivation, and ensures its sustainable use by repurposing it into MDF. The factory is the second of its kind in the world and the first in Africa. It significantly reduces air pollution and CO2 emissions in Egypt. The rice straw replaces traditional wood as a raw material in medium-density fibreboard, which is used to make cabinets, doors, furniture and commercial and residential buildings.

Rolls-Royce worked with local partner Engineering for Industries Co. (INDE) and the Egyptian Maintenance Company (EMC), a provider of engineering support services in the region, to supply the mtu Series 4000 L64 FNER gensets, controls and accessories for the WOTECH project, which was established with full Egyptian capital from the oil sector.

Each of the 10 mtu gensets has a rated power of 2,500 kW and an operational lifetime of up to 84,000 hours before needing major overhaul (TBO).