Wärtsilä has received another major order from Pakistan. It was placed by Liberty Power Tech Ltd, which is an independent power producer (IPP).
The value of the contract is about €137 million. The total gross electrical power output of the power plant, which will be located near Faisalabad, 200km west of Lahore, is 200MWe. The plant is due to be commissioned in December 2010 and will supply electricity to the country’s national grid.
The order follows three other IPP projects signed by Wärtsilä in 2007 and 2008. Including these orders, the total generating capacity delivered by Wärtsilä to Pakistan will exceed 1700MWe.
The Liberty Power Tech combined-cycle solution is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) order and will comprise eleven Wärtsilä 18V46 generating sets. In addition to the equipment supply, Wärtsilä will also build, test and commission the plant and provide local construction supervision. An O&M contract to operate and maintain the power plant is also under negotiation between Wärtsilä and the customer.
Ashraf Mukaty, sponsor director of Liberty Power Tech Ltd, said: "Wärtsilä and Liberty Power Tech have worked together as one team throughout the development of the project. The need for power generation and energy production is growing rapidly in Pakistan.
"With Wärtsilä’s strong support and advisory services, we have been able to arrange the financing for the power plant project."
The company is owned by Salim Mukaty and his family, who also own Liberty Mills, one of the leading textile groups in Pakistan.
The Liberty Power Tech power plant will have a notably high overall efficiency of 45% for the lifetime of the plant when running on heavy fuel oil at site conditions. This level of efficiency on low-cost fuel oil will enable the generating costs to be very competitive.
Nomi Ahmad, Wärtsilä Power Plants’ regional director for the Middle East, said: "We are especially pleased to have been awarded this project contract, and look forward to serving Liberty Power Tech throughout the life–cycle of the project.
"This order endorses not only the reputation of the Wärtsilä equipment, but also the service capability that we are able to provide from our office and workshop in Lahore."
Liberty Power Tech has signed a power purchase agreement with the National Transmission and Despatch Company, and an implementation agreement with the government of Pakistan under the 2002 energy policy of Pakistan.