The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts for two power plants in Latin America. Wärtsilä will also operate and maintain both of the plants under a 10-year operation & maintenance service agreement (O&M). Together, the EPC orders are valued at over EUR 190 million. The EPC orders were placed in March 2020, and the O&M agreements shortly after. The O&M agreements will take effect when the plants commence operations, and Wärtsilä will recognise the orders intake following commissioning. Each plant will operate using eleven Wärtsilä 50SG gas engines and together they will produce over 400 MW of power output. The electricity produced will be fed to the national grid in flexible baseload mode. The fast-starting flexibility of the Wärtsilä solution enables the efficient integration of larger amounts of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, into the system.

“The EPC and O&M package highlights Wärtsilä’s capabilities as a one-stop-shop supplier, which creates a highly competitive comprehensive solution for the customer. The high efficiency of the Wärtsilä engines with their quick power ramp-ups provide the flexibility and reliability needed in today’s energy market, which is trending increasingly towards renewable energy,” commented Sushil Purohit, Vice President, Americas, Wärtsilä Energy Business.

The flexible baseload capabilities of the Wärtsilä solution include outstanding efficiency, even in hot ambient temperatures, while the water consumption is zero. The multi-engine assembly enables simple future expansion of the plants should that be required, and high availability is assured as there are always engines running while one may be undergoing maintenance. A multi-engine configuration is also a key advantage for ensuring highest part load efficiency.

The two plants are expected to be operational at the end of 2021. With an operation & maintenance solution, Wärtsilä takes full responsibility of the power plants and guarantees the plants’ performance. With holistic approach, digital innovations and advanced analytics are combined to optimise operations and maintenance activities with the plant’s operating profile.

Wärtsilä gas engine power plants can utilise natural gas, LPG, synthetic fuels and various bio-gas fuels. Efficiency is high even in simple cycle mode and no gas compressors are needed since the required gas pressure is just 5 bar. Gas engines have excellent environmental performance, since the lean-burn technology that they are based on creates very low emission levels. With the addition of a selective catalytic reduction unit even the most stringent emission standards in the world can be adhered to.