Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to supply a Flexicycle power plant, consisting of seven 50SG gas engines and a combined cycle, to produce 139 MW of power for Energia del Caribe, S.A. in Mexico. The full turnkey contract was signed September 2014 and the plant is scheduled to be operational in 2016.
The power plant will be located near Monterrey in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. It will be fuelled by natural gas originating from the United States and the electricity will be transmitted through Mexico to consumption in Guatemala. The fact that natural gas provides cheaper and cleaner energy than other fossil fuels was a key factor that triggered the cross-border project between the three countries and led to awarding Energia del Caribe, S.A. the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in Guatemala. Presently, natural gas is not available for power generation in Guatemala.
“Wärtsilä’s capability to produce efficient, flexible and reliable energy as well as to ensure firm capacity without interruptions was essential for us to meet the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) obligations in Guatemala,” states Juan Buitron, Energia del Caribe’s General Manager. The reliability of the Flexicycle solution is based on the modular design of seven independent generating units that offer a high level of redundancy, where any unit can compensate each other to avoid interruptions. In addition, the Flexicycle technology provides maximum efficiency in demanding ambient conditions, including extreme heat.
“Wärtsilä’s full EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) supply capability was needed for this project to ensure a seamless process towards tight deadlines and challenging requirements. Our state of the art Smart Power Generation solution provides great benefits for our customers in Mexico as in elsewhere in the world,” says Raul Carral, Wärtsilä’s Business Development Manager.
The project will double Wärtsilä’s capacity in Mexico to 280 MW. Total Wärtsilä’s capacity in North America, Central America and the Caribbean is over 7000 MW.
Link to illustration of a flexicycle plant
Caption: Flexicycle power plants combine the advantages of a flexible simple cycle plant with the efficiency of a combined cycle plant.
Read more about Flexicycle plants
For further information please contact:
Raul Carral, Ph.D.
Business Development Manager,
Mexico, Central America and the Spanish-Speaking Caribbean
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
Tel: +1 832 205 5114
Raul.Carral@wartsila.com
Jukka-Pekka Niemi
General Manager, Marketing
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
Tel: +358 10 709 0000
jukka-pekka.niemi@wartsila.com
Wärtsilä Power Plants in brief
Wärtsilä Power Plants is a leading global supplier of flexible baseload power plants of up to 600 MW operating on various gaseous and liquid fuels. Our portfolio includes unique solutions for peaking, reserve and load-following power generation, as well as for balancing intermittent power production. Wärtsilä Power Plants also provides LNG terminals and distribution systems. As of 2014, Wärtsilä has 56 GW of installed power plant capacity in 170 countries around the world.
www.smartpowergeneration.com
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 maximizes the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2013, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.7 billion with approximately 18,700 employees. The company has operations in more than 200 locations in nearly 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com
