Wärtsilä was awarded a turnkey contract in December 2007 by the Salvadorian electrical development group Sociedad Electrica de CEREN (SEC) for a 17.5 MWe diesel power plant. To be installed at Hacienda de San Andrés in San Juan Opico in the Departamento Libertad, El Salvador, the power plant is due to be handed over in the third quarter 2009.
The new SEC power plant, Termoeléctrica de CEREN, is the first Wärtsilä OilCube power plant to be ordered since the introduction of the product in spring 2007. It will comprise two OilCubes, each with a Wärtsilä 20V32 diesel engine burning heavy fuel oil. The value of the contract is approximately 12 million euros.
The plant is also a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. It will include a waste heat recovery system consisting of two exhaust gas boilers capable of producing a total of 6056 kg/h of saturated steam at a working steam pressure of 11.8 bar.
Sociedad Electrica de CEREN (SEC) is involved in electricity distribution in El Salvador. Electricity from the new CEREN plant will be delivered through a new electrical substation as part of the CEREN project to the Salvadorian national grid through Unidad de Transacciones S.A. de C.V. which is the national entity in charge of managing the wholesale energy market in El Salvador. SEC also plans to sell part of its electricity production directly to private industrial customers. The steam will be delivered to a local industrial park to be used in industrial processes.
The plant will thus improve electrical services in San Juan Opico and elsewhere in this region of El Salvador in terms of quantity and reliability of the electricity. This will bring the benefits of creating additional qualified jobs for this area of the country and encourage the setting up of new industries there. SEC expects that this is the first phase of the project and anticipate extending the plant in the near future.
An important feature of the project is that Wärtsilä has an established service network in Central America that is well-experienced in supporting diesel- and gas-engined power plants.
Wärtsilä OilCubes
The Wärtsilä OilCube is a standardised power plant that provides industrial customers, utilities and independent power producers with small, 5 to 25 MW diesel power plants on a turnkey basis, in an economical, reliable and fast way. There is also a corresponding GasCube for use with gas fuels.
The Wärtsilä OilCube and GasCube turnkey plants present clear advantages for customers that do not have their own construction capabilities and project handling resources: one single, trusted supplier; a complete, standardised power production unit including all ancillaries; and compact, modular systems with minimum work on site and consistent quality.
Each Wärtsilä PowerCube is a complete single-engine power plant with all the ancillaries and components needed to form a working power production unit. Each plant is of cubical construction with radiators on the roof and an exhaust gas stack close to the Cube or integrated within it. The OilCube is based on the Wärtsilä 20V32 engine and the GasCube on the Wärtsilä 20V34SG engine. A single PowerCube provides up to 9 MWe. They are delivered with all components and structures above ground.
The PowerCubes can be monitored and operated remotely or at freely placed working stations. The electrical distribution system and monitoring units can, for example, be installed in the client’s facility or supplied as a separate building.
The small footprint and the minimum interface with the surrounding environment also opens up new possibilities in placing the Wärtsilä PowerCubes. For example, the back yard of a large industrial plant would be well suited for this compact solution. The fact that these PowerCubes have closed cooling circuit systems that reduce the water consumption to a minimum makes them perfectly suitable for remote locations or any location where water is scarce.
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 15,000 professionals manning 150 Wärtsilä locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on The Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland. www.wartsila.com
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
