Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a renewal of its Operation & Maintenance agreement with Brazilian independent energy producer Geradora de Energia do Amazonas . The agreement covers the UTE Ponta Negra power plant in Manaus and has been in place since 2006 when the plant was commissioned. The two-year renewal ensures that Gera Amazonas can meet its power purchase obligations with Eletronorte. This latest order was booked as order intake by Wärtsilä in April 2023.

Originally the plant operated on heavy fuel oil, but in 2013 it was converted to operate with gas/diesel technology. Wärtsilä subsequently carried out a full gas conversion in 2020 with five Wärtsilä 50SG gas-fuelled engines installed. The plant now operates in 24/7 baseload mode delivering 60 MW to the system.

“Operational reliability is essential for us in meeting our Power Purchase Agreement responsibilities. Over the years, Wärtsilä has proven its capabilities as a value-adding partner to our company, and we are pleased to renew this agreement with them,” said Alcio Adler Silva Bezerra, Executive Director of Gera Amazonas.

“This agreement renewal once again endorses the cooperation between our two companies that has existed for many years. We are delighted to continue this relationship with an agreement that provides performance and availability guarantees that are the main core in this Power Purchase Agreement. The plant needs to be in continuous 24/7 operation and our obligation is to ensure that a high level of reliability is maintained at all times,” commented Carlos Henrique Gonzales, Business Development Manager at Wärtsilä.

Parts and service for all planned overhauls are included in the broad scope of the agreement.