Wärtsilä has been awarded the turn-key contract for the second phase of a power plant at a giant dairy farm project in Saudi Arabia. Contracted by the National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC) of Saudi Arabia in May 2007, the 13.7 MWe plant extension is due to be put into operation in December 2008.
The plant is at Haradh, 280 km from Riyadh, where NADEC has large cow farms and an associated major industrial plant. The farms have close to 30,000 cows, and the industrial plant processes their milk into a wide range of high-quality dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, etc.
The plant extension comprises two 7 MWe generating sets, each powered by a Wärtsilä 32 engine. These sets will join two identical sets contracted in January 2007. The 28 MWe power plant will supply electricity to the NADEC farms and milk processing plants, as well as for NADEC’s housing area in Haradh.
Wärtsilä will deliver all the electrical and mechanical equipment for the new power plant and has turn-key responsibility for the complete power plant, including its installation and commissioning, except for the civil works. In operation, the plant will be supported by Wärtsilä’s service network in Saudi Arabia.
An important factor for the power plant expansion is to meet the increase in electricity demand at Haradh due to the expansion projects of the processing plant and the new dairy farms, coupled with the desire to reduce electricity generating costs by changing from diesel oil fuel in the existing plant to heavy fuel oil.
The Wärtsilä 32 engines are ideal for this purpose as they were designed from the outset for reliable, continuous, start-to-stop operation on poor-quality heavy fuel oil with high efficiency and long times between overhauls. Wärtsilä power plants are also highly efficient which NADEC is hoping will reflect positively on the end products’ costs.
Wärtsilä in brief:
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 14,000 professionals manning 130 Wärtsilä locations in close to 70 countries around the world.
For further information, please contact:
Maria Nystrand
Public Relations Manager, Power Plants
Wärtsilä Corporation
Direct tel: +358 10 709 1456
Direct fax: +358 10 709 1425
e-mail: maria.nystrand@wartsila.com
Internet: www.wartsila.com
