Wärtsilä to supply a 106 MW Floating Power Plant to the Dominican Republic

Wärtsilä, a leading global supplier of decentralised power plant solutions, has been awarded a contract to supply equipment on a turnkey basis for a barge-mounted power plant power project for the Dominican Republic. The plant will run on natural gas, and will have an output of 106 MW to be supplied to the national grid. It is scheduled to be operational before the end of 2011.

Seaboard Corporation, a US based Fortune 1000 company, has ordered Wärtsilä power generation equipment for a new barge-mounted power plant for the country’s capital city, Santo Domingo. The barge will expand Seaboard’s existing power generation operations in the Dominican Republic.

The scope of supply for the order includes six Wärtsilä 18V50DF dual-fuel engines in combined cycle mode, including heat recovery boilers for each engine, and a complete steam turbine generator system.

In announcing the order, Sampo Suvisaari, General Manager, Power Plants, Central America and the Caribbean, commented: “To be able to supply a combined cycle power plant that fits in a barge 104 meters long and 32 meters wide is not only remarkable, it is almost certainly an industry first. The plant will have an exceptionally high guaranteed efficiency. Our ability to meet these challenging demands, together with our broad experience in gas fuelled operation were clearly key reasons in us being awarded this contract.”

Seaboard was the first independent power producer (IPP) to operate in the Dominican Republic. This will be the company’s third and largest power barge project. The previous two floating power plants Estrella Del Norte and Estrella del Mar were also built by Wärtsilä, and equipped with Wärtsilä engines.

Wärtsilä has a strong presence in the Dominican Republic with 800 MW of installed power generating equipment in operation. In floating power plants Wärtsilä has extensive experience having a total installed capacity of about 1400 MW on 25 power barges in the Caribbean and in Asia.

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 2009, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.3 billion with more than 18,000 employees. The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.

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