Wärtsilä, a leading supplier of flexible power plants for the decentralised power generation market, was in December 2008 awarded a contract to supply equipment and engineering for a new 80 MW baseload power plant for the electrical utility in Uruguay, UTE. The value of the order is approximately EUR 35 million. The UTE Uruguay plant will supply electricity to the national grid.
The plant is to be located within the existing Central Batlle power plant field in the capital Montevideo. Wärtsilä delivers eight previously used Wärtsilä 12V46 engines that have been fully overhauled and reconditioned by Wärtsilä Services. This order represents Wärtsilä’s first power plant installation in Uruguay, a country where some 70 per cent of the electricity is supplied by hydro power.
Wärtsilä was also awarded an operations and maintenance (O&M) agreement for two years with a further two years extension option. This means that Wärtsilä will fully operate and maintain the running of the plant to ensure optimal performance.
The order has been placed by the contracting group, a consortium made up of the two major construction companies in Uruguay, Teyma Uruguay SA and Saceem, which successfully bid for the project specifying Wärtsilä equipment.
The new power plant is expected to be fully operational by the end of October 2009. The engines will initially be run on heavy fuel oil (HFO), but will later be converted to Wärtsilä gas and HFO dual-fuel capability, and will run mainly on gas.
Wärtsilä’s ability to supply the equipment and engineering services within the very tight schedule stipulated was a key factor in the company winning this contract. The above mentioned fuel flexibility of the Wärtsilä engines has also been cited as being an important consideration.
“This order is the result of the very good understanding of the customer’s needs and the fact that we are able to supply fully reconditioned engines. The engines are not only rebuilt to as-new condition, but they are also ready to be converted at a later stage from HFO to gas operation. The technical and engineering support is also critical to this installation as the brown field location is particularly challenging with very limited space available,” explains Alberto Fernandez, Business Development Manager for Uruguay and Argentina, Wärtsilä Power Plants.
For further information, please contact:
Mr Alberto Fernandez
Business Development Manager for Uruguay and Argentina
Wärtsilä Power Plants
Tel: +54 11 4555-1331
e-mail: alberto.fernandez@wartsila.com
Ms Maria Nystrand
Publicity Manager
Wärtsilä Power Plants
Direct tel: +358 10 709 1456
e-mail: maria.nystrand@wartsila.com
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 over 18,000 professionals manning 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland.
