Wärtsilä wins major power plant order from the Dominican Republic

The high efficiency of this combined cycle power plant and the fast-track construction schedule were primary factors in Wärtsilä being awarded this significant order. The dual-fuel capability of Wärtsilä’s technology and the competitive investment costs were also important benefits for the customer.
 
Wärtsilä, a leading global supplier of flexible and efficient power plant solutions, has been awarded a turnkey contract to supply a gas-fired power plant for a project in the Dominican Republic. The combined cycle power plant will provide electricity for a gold mine. The value of Wärtsilä’s order is EUR 155 million.
 
The contract was signed with Barrick Gold of North America, Inc., a subsidiary of the Canada based Barrick Gold Corporation. The power plant will serve and supply electricity for the Pueblo Viejo gold mine.
 
Wärtsilä’s scope of supply includes 12 Wärtsilä 50DF engine units in combined cycle. The dual-fuel flexibility of these Wärtsilä’s engines is a key advantage since they can run both on liquid fuels and on natural gas. This power plant represents the three values of Wärtsilä Smart Power Generation; the energy efficiency, the fuel flexibility and the operational flexibility.
 
“This is a major contract for Wärtsilä. The high efficiency of the Flexicycle™ design and the fast-track construction schedule were primary factors in our being awarded this significant order. The dual-fuel capability and the competitive investment costs were also important benefits for the customer,” says Sampo Suvisaari, General Manager, Central America and the Caribbean, Wärtsilä Power Plants. Barrick Gold is familiar with Wärtsilä’s capabilities having earlier purchased two other Wärtsilä power plant solutions.
 
The Wärtsilä Flexicycle™ advantage
The Wärtsilä Flexicycle™ solution combines the advantages of a flexible simple cycle plant with the superb efficiency of a combined cycle plant, in a unique way. Flexicycle™ power plants can be optimised for different outputs in the 100 to 500 MW range. The power plant solution is based on gas fired combustion engines and a steam turbine combined cycle. Each engine is equipped with a waste heat recovery steam generator. The power plant has one common steam turbine and a condenser. The power plant cooling is typically arranged so that the combustion engines are cooled with closed loop radiators and the steam cycle with cooling towers.
 
Wärtsilä has a strong presence in the Dominican Republic with already 900 MW of installed generating capacity in the country. This represents almost half of the country’s active electrical capacity.
 
Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines
Wärtsilä dual-fuel power plants
Flexicycle™ 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