Many parts of the world do not have access to traditional natural gas supply networks. These include coastal communities, which are remote and disconnected from any gas supply infrastructure, and island communities.

These “disconnected” markets are often not big enough to support large, capital-intensive nuclear or coal-fired power plants, or liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facilities. For many of these markets, the only viable solution is to use liquid hydrocarbon (e.g. diesel, naptha, fuel oil, etc.) as fuel. Years ago when oil was relatively cheap and environmental issues were less of a concern than they are today, these solutions made sense.

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However, during the past decade there has been a rapid increase in the real cost of oil and oil-based fuels. Communities dependent on oil-based electricity have seen a tremendous increase in the cost to produce electricity, and are actively seeking more economic remedies.