Wärtsilä, a leading supplier of flexible power plants for the decentralized power generation market, has been awarded an operations and maintenance (O&M) contract by an Argentinean power plant customer. This agreement relates to a power plant currently being installed by Wärtsilä.
The operations and maintenance contract has been agreed for a period of five years. Under the contract, Wärtsilä will operate and maintain the power plant, which is being installed for the Mina Pirquitas mining project in the province of Jujuy, in the north of Argentina.
Wärtsilä is currently supplying equipment and engineering for this new baseload power plant, which will provide electricity for the mining activities. The delivery includes three Wärtsilä 18V34SG engines, which will run on natural gas and have a total output of 15MW.
Wärtsilä has already supplied Argentinean customers with engines that produce 51MW of electrical power.
In commenting on this latest order, Tomas Hakala, president of Wärtsilä in Latin America, said: “This is a valuable order and one that represents a further endorsement of Wärtsilä’s ability to provide the right solutions in a variety of climates and operating conditions around the world. The power plant for the Mina Pirquitas project will be operating at an altitude of 4500m, and our proven success at meeting the challenge of high altitude operations was a key to being awarded this contract.”
Wärtsilä power generating solutions for industry
Energy-intensive industries can, in many cases, improve their competitiveness through reducing energy costs by producing electricity for their own needs in a local captive power plant. In some areas of the world, this also improves reliability of supply because of the inherently unstable grid conditions.
Wärtsilä’s gas-driven power plants offer high reliability, price stability and independence from fluctuating grid conditions. They provide very rapid start-up and consistent performance throughout varying ambient conditions, while meeting today’s increasingly stringent air quality requirements. To date, there are more than 3,300 Wärtsilä engines under delivery or already installed in more than 1,700 power plants for the industrial self-generation segment, producing more than 12GWe.
Wärtsilä’s comprehensive O&M programme enables the plant owner to focus on the company’s core business, knowing that Wärtsilä is able to ensure optimal plant performance. The O&M coverage is available for the complete operational lifecycle, from receiving fuel to supplying energy. Wärtsilä operates 132 installations in 34 countries, supplying some 3,800MW of power.