Wärtsilä, a leading global supplier of decentralised power plant solutions, has been awarded two operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts for two floating power plants that will be used to boost Iraq’s energy capacity. The O&M agreements give Wärtsilä full responsibility for ensuring the efficient running and servicing of these so-called power ships.
The ‘Power of Friendship’ project has been initiated by Karadeniz Holding, a Turkish group of companies specialising in the energy sector. During 2007 and 2008, Karadeniz acquired a series of second-hand generating sets from China and Dubai. These were then installed on one barge and three vessels converted into floating power plants in shipyards in Turkey and Singapore.
Of the generating equipment acquired by Karadeniz for the Powerships, 30 are Sulzer 16ZAV40S engines, 17 are Wärtsilä 12V46 engines, and six are Wärtsilä 16V46 engines. Together, these produce more than 570MW of the total 615MW produced by the entire Karadeniz Power of Friendship project. Major overhauling of the electricity generating units was carried out by Wärtsilä Services in Turkey and Singapore.
The two O&M agreements were signed in March 2010 and April 2010 respectively, and cover two of the powerships; the Karadeniz power ship Dogan Bey, which has an output capacity of 126.5 MW, and the Karadeniz power ship Kaya Bey with an output capacity of 220MW. Commissioning of the two plants is scheduled for summer 2010.
“We wanted to bring our relationship with Wärtsilä to a higher level. The signing of these O&M contracts with Wärtsilä for the power ship project in Iraq gives us, more than anything, peace of mind. The importance of having these installations up and running is vital for our contract with the Iraqi Government, and we trust in Wärtsilä’s ability to efficiently meet the demand for electricity production from our power ships,” says Mr Ali Can Takunyaci, director of energy generation and investment at Karadeniz Holding.
“We have had the pleasure of working with Karadeniz Holding earlier. Two of their power plants in Turkey, having a total output of 181MW, are powered by Wärtsilä engines. This is a very interesting project as these are the first power ships ever designed. It is a mark of the trust that the customer has in Wärtsilä’s competence and experience, that we have been contracted to undertake responsibility for operating and maintaining these important units, and ensuring that they will be run efficiently and reliably. Wärtsilä is proud to accept this responsibility,” commented Kaj Nordman, director of solutions support for South Europe and Africa at Wärtsilä Services.