Finland's Wärtsilä Secures Supply Contracts in India and Turkey

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Global engineering and power equipment supply company Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (HEL:WTBV) (Helsinki, Finland) has been awarded a contract by Indian power company KVK Energy & Infrastructure Private Limited (Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh) for the supply of engineering services and power-generating equipment for a gas-based power plant, which is to be set up at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh.

The order includes engineering, erection and commissioning of the power plant, and the supply of eight Wärtsilä W20V34GS gas engine generators and auxiliaries. The supply order is to be implemented in the second half of 2011. The new order is in addition to a supply order issued in March 2010 that included three similar gas engine generators. Construction of the power plant is already under way and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011. Two of the engine generators from the earlier order will begin power generation from the end of this month. The power plant ultimately will have a power generation capacity of more than 100 megawatts (MW) and will initially provide base-load power to the national grid. The mid- to long-term objective of the plant is to meet the peak load requirements of the national grid.

"This order is an exciting opportunity for Wärtsilä in terms of gas-based power generation in India," said President and CEO Ole Johansson of Wärtsilä. "The power plant is a perfect example of the operational flexibility that is characteristic of our power generating technology. Wärtsilä gas power plants can be used for both baseload operation and grid stability or peaking applications, and as the customer's need changes, so can the operational profile of our plants."

Wärtsilä India Limited (Mumbai) is the Indian arm of Wärtsilä Corporation and has been operating in India for more than 25 years. In India, the company has delivered more than 250 power plants with a combined power generating capacity of about 3,500 MW. Of that, more than 1,000 MW is spread across a total of about 60 steam-based and wind turbine-based power plants. Wärtsilä's mode of functioning includes maintenance, service and reconditioning solutions for the power projects it has delivered. The Wärtsilä Land and Sea Academy (Khopoli, Maharashtra) provides power plant owners and ship owners with competence management services and training. The Khopoli facility also manufactures gearboxes along with auxiliaries and pipe modules, and upgrades and reconditions engines and ship propellers. Wärtsilä's customers in India have included the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Port Trusts, offshore rigs, floating crane operators and merchant shipping companies.

Among other developments, Wärtsilä has been awarded an equipment and engineering contract by Turkish electricity company Aksa Enerji Uretim AS (IST:AKSEN) (Istanbul, Turkey) for the expansion of the company's Aksa Samsun combined-cycle power plant, which is operating at Samsun in Turkey. The contract involves the maiden installation of the 18.321-MW Wärtsilä 18V50SG spark-ignited gas engine generator. The supply contract also includes the automation, controls and auxiliary equipment associated with the cooling and exhaust gas systems, fuel gas and charge air.

The 18V50SG engine is the newest member of Wärtsilä's gas engine portfolio and it affords a power plant efficiency of more than 50% during the combined-cycle mode of operation. To date, the Wärtsilä 18V50SG is the largest gas engine generator in the world.

The Aksa Samsun power plant currently operates using seven of Wärtsilä's heavy fuel oil-based 18V46 engines. Six of the existing engines will be converted to Wärtsilä's 18V46GD engines to enable gas-based operations. The power plant is expected to have a total combined-cycle power generation capacity of 130 MW when the installation of the new gas engines is complete in 2011. The power generated will be fed to the national grid of Turkey.

The regional director for Wärtsilä power plants in Western Europe, Christer Strandvall said, "In converting the Aksa Samsun facility from HFO to gas-fired operation, we are providing added environmental sustainability, while the efficiency level of the new Wärtsilä 50SG engine sets a new benchmark for the industry."

Wärtsilä is slated to have delivered almost 3,000 MW of power generating capacity to Turkey by the end of 2011. About 85% of the projects will be based on natural gas.

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