Wärtsilä was awarded a contract in November 2007 by Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), the national electric utility in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, to supply a dual-fuel power plant under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.
The contract is valued at approximately 77 million US dollars (approx. EUR 52.3 million). This baseload power plant will be the first natural gas reciprocating engine plant of its kind in the Caribbean region.
The Wärtsilä power plant will be commissioned in September 2009 and it will be located at the Cove Industrial Estate in Cove on the island of Tobago. The power plant will supply electricity to Tobago and also transmit power to the main island of Trinidad via two existing 33 kV submarine cables.
The Wärtsilä power generating facility will be equipped with four Wärtsilä 18V50DF dual-fuel generator sets and a double buss bar 66 kV substation to interconnect with the T&TEC electrical grid, producing a total of more than 64 MW on natural gas and 67 MW on light fuel oil (LFO) that acts as back-up fuel.
While Trinidad is heavily industrialized, the island of Tobago is a tranquil tourist paradise best known for its rich Caribbean culture, beautiful beaches, and as a yachting haven with its many secluded bays and coves.
“This is the second power plant we are going to build for T&TEC on the island of Tobago. We are extremely delighted that Wärtsilä’s reciprocating gas engine technology proved to be the best solution for T&TEC, and we could provide a plant that meets their requirements for efficiency and reliability,” said Rodney George, Vice President Power Plant Sales for Wärtsilä Caribbean Inc.
Wärtsilä will also operate the Cove plant for an initial period of five years under a full operations and maintenance agreement, and this accentuates Wärtsilä's ability to provide T&TEC with a lifecycle power generating solution that fulfills their need for a reliable source of power. Wärtsilä handles everything from equipment delivery to engineering, procurement and construction of the power plant through operation and maintenance of the plant after commissioning.
"Wärtsilä was selected as the EPC contractor for this new gas-fired power plant in Tobago following a rigorous tendering and evaluation process," said Indarjit Singh, General Manager of Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission.
"With clean-burning natural gas as the primary fuel, this new dual-fired, high-efficiency plant will augment the country's baseload generation capacity and will fully meet Tobago's demand, presently at 40MW, for at least the next ten years. In the mean time all excess power will be exported to Trinidad. As this new facility replaces the importation of power from Trinidad via very long transmission lines and submarine cables, transmission losses are expected to be reduced significantly whilst the voltage in Tobago will be much better controlled,” he continued.
About Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC):
The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission is the sole provider of electricity on the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was established in 1946 and today, with a work force of approximately 2500, serves close to 400,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers. T&TEC is primarily a Transmission and Distribution company; however it has a 51% equity interest in the larger generation company in the country.
About Wärtsilä:
Wärtsilä Corporation, based in Helsinki, Finland, is a major provider of solutions for decentralized power generation and a leading global ship power supplier. Wärtsilä Power Plants provides complete turnkey power plants ranging from five to 300 megawatts, for applications such as intermediate peaking, multi-fuel baseload, combined heat and power, mechanical drives and biopower. Wärtsilä Ship Power offers engines and complete ship machinery, propulsion and maneuvering solutions to suit specific ship design and operational requirements for marine vessels and offshore applications. Wärtsilä Services builds upon its global base of installed engines for ship power and power plants, serving its customers throughout the life cycle of these products with parts and service contracts, maintenance and operations agreements, and online services through subsidiaries in more than 70 countries.
Wärtsilä enhances the business of its customers by providing them with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating better and environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä focuses on the marine and energy markets with products and solutions as well as services. Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out to be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is achieved by the dedication of more than 15,000 professionals manning 150 Wärtsilä locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on The Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland.
For further information, please contact:
Jeannie E. Beard
Marketing Coordinator
Central America & Caribbean
Wärtsilä North America
Direct: 281-233-6206
Fax: 281-233-6233
Email: jeannie.beard@wartsila.com
or
Maria Nystrand
Public Relations Manager
Marketing Communications
Wärtsilä Finland Oy
Direct tel: +358 10 709 1456
Fax: + 358 10 709 1425
maria.nystrand@wartsila.com
