Wärtsilä to supply 52 MW industrial self-generation power plant to Saudi Arabia

Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade press release 23 June 2011 at 13:00 UTC+2

Wärtsilä’s competitive edge is based on its proven power plant technology and strong track record, even in areas with very demanding climatic conditions.

Wärtsilä has been awarded the contract to supply the engineering, equipment and construction for a power plant to be delivered for Hail Cement, a Saudi Arabian cement manufacturer. The power plant will provide electricity for the customer’s own industrial use.

Wärtsilä’s scope of supply under this turnkey contract includes seven Wärtsilä 20V32 generating sets, providing a total output of some 52 MW. The engines will run on heavy fuel oil (HFO), but can switch to light fuel oil (LFO) as a back-up fuel. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered during 2012, and the complete construction of the plant is scheduled to take approximately 15 months to complete.

This turnkey project is yet another case whereby Wärtsilä technology is used to provide energy for Saudi cement works. Already approximately 70 per cent of the country’s cement manufacturing facilities are powered by Wärtsilä power plants.

“As Saudi Arabia develops its infrastructure and continues to construct more housing, the need for cement is obviously increasing. Wärtsilä is pleased to support this development by providing reliable, cost competitive, and efficient distributed power that enables the country’s cement manufacturers to operate effectively. Our proven technology and strong track record, even in areas with very demanding climatic conditions, are the basis of our competitive edge,” says Lars-Åke Kjell, Regional Director (Middle East) at Wärtsilä Power Plants.

“A key requirement in awarding this contract was that the generating equipment could reliably operate with undiminished efficiency in the hot and sandy conditions that prevail in Saudi Arabia,” says Mr. Matar Ali Al Zahrani, President Hail Cement Company, Saudi Arabia.

Wärtsilä was able to prove its ability to meet this need as it already has a strong presence in the country, with almost 1400 MW of capacity installed. Furthermore, nine of these power plants, with an output of 330 MW, are being operated by Wärtsilä under Operation & Management Service agreements. This presence is likely to continue to increase as power demand in Saudi Arabia is increasing by more than seven per cent per year, and new generating capacity is being added.

Globally, Wärtsilä has delivered 4,500 power plants in 168 countries totalling over 47 GW.

Further information, please contact:

Mr Lars-Åke Kjell
Regional Director
Wärtsilä Power Plants Middle East
Tel: +971 50 4583582
lars-ake.kjell@wartsila.com

Mr Ghazanfar Khan
Managing Director
Wärtsilä Saudi Arabia
Tel. +966 535366021
ghazanfar.khan@wartsila.com

Ms Anna-Leena Pohjanpalo
Media Officer
Media & Stakeholder Relations, Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel. +358 40 5161343
anna-leena.pohjanpalo@wartsila.com

More information about Wärtsilä Power Plants

Wärtsilä in brief

Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2010, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion with more than 17,500 employees. The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com