Benndale, Mississippi, USA

Cooperative Energy + Wärtsilä

Sustainable power generation with the optimal balancing solution

Enabling an increase in variable generation with more flexible capacity that can rapidly start up when needed.

Intermittent renewable energy generation in the United States has seen a staggering 700% increase between 2008 and 2019, with solar and wind generation accounting for around 350 million MWh of power generation in 2019. The subsequent increase in variable generation means that flexibility is increasingly important in the energy system.

Cooperative Energy, a not-for-profit electricity cooperative covering 432,000 homes and businesses in the US state of Mississippi, was looking to upgrade one of its plants in order to help it supply affordable, flexible and reliable power. Wärtsilä’s comprehensive solution comprises a plant powered by two gas-fired Wärtsilä 31SG engine generating sets and covered by a 10-year service agreement.

WHO	COOPERATIVE ENERGY
WHAT	22,7 MW PICKING GAS POWER PLANT
WHERE	MISSISSIPPI, USA
HOW	2X20V31SG

This is what we achieved

22,7MW

Flexible power generation to integrate high levels of energy from renewable sources.

432K

Homes and businesses powered in Mississippi.

10 years

Optimised maintenance agreement.

I wanted to be satisfied with the technology and the people behind it, so we visited Wärtsilä’s factory and testing facilities and met the engineers. This is not just about a product, but the people. I needed to be comfortable with everyone involved in design, installation and maintenance. I was very impressed.
- Jim Compton, President Emeritus of Cooperative Energy

How we did it

Challenge

Efficient power generation in a market with increasing levels of renewables
Mitigate financial and timing risks in construction
Resilient and reliable generation in a hurricane-prone region
Maintain the plant and its performance over the lifecycle

Solution

Full EPC delivery
Wärtsilä plant integrated with customer’s system
A flexible Wärtsilä 31SG gas power plant with the ability to respond rapidly to continuously changing load patterns of systems with renewables
10-year Wärtsilä Optimised maintenance service agreement

Benefit

Efficient and flexible power supply with a reduced environmental footprint
One EPC supplier with full responsibility for both timelines and costs
Fast starting; ability to supply power to key facilities such as hospitals during a natural disaster
Ensure optimised plant performance and efficiency over the lifecycle

Questions? Contact us

The main details

CUSTOMER	COOPERATIVE ENERGY
TYPE	WÄRTSILÄ 31SG PICKING GAS PLANT
WHERE	MISSISSIPI, USA
TOTAL OUT PUT	22,7 MW
FUEL	NATURAL GAS
SCOPE	EPC WITH 10-YEAR MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT
DELIVERY	2020