LTSA
Cemex Colombia + Wärtsilä

Reference case

Ensuring a reliable and efficient electricity supply in Colombia

25 years of a successful collaboration​

This collaboration, which began in 1998, has become one of the longest partnerships in Wärtsilä's history. ​

​The 26 MW Caracolito power plant, located near Ibagué, Tolima, operates with five Wärtsilä 18-cylinder engines, model 34SG, running on natural gas, ensuring a reliable and efficient electricity supply for the daily operations of the cement plant.​

​The benefits of this partnership include operation services, preventive and predictive maintenance, spare parts logistics management and technical support, allowing Cemex to focus on cement production, optimizing performance and ensuring financial predictability of O&M costs.

WhoCemex Colombia
What26 MW power plant
WhereIbagué, Tolima; Colombia
HowWärtsilä 18V34SG

 

This is what we achieved

26

MW of electrical output

26

years​ World Class O&M service

24

hours running a day at full baseload

This project provides us with the electricity supply for the entire operation and allows us to have a certain autonomy and availability in our equipment, at all times.

Jonatan Salamanca, Regional Director of Energy at Cemex

Having the support of Wärtsilä to provide us with energy for the operation of our equipment guarantees the effectiveness of production at our plant.

Jose Carlos Cruz, Caracolito Power Plant Director at Cemex

How we did it

Challenge icon

Challenge

  • Guarantee reliable and efficient support​
  • Need for efficient baseload​
  • Back client production in accordance with the established key performance indicators
Solution icon

Solution

  • Top efficiency with the Flecicycle technology
  • Trustworthy and valued lifecycle solutions
  • World class O&M services
Benefit icon

Benefit

  • Uninterrupted generation
  • Reliability to the operation of the production machinery.

The main details

Customer Cemex Colombia
Type Wärtsilä 18V34SG flexible power plant
WhereIbagué, Tolima; Colombia
Total output 26 MW
Fuel Natural gas
ScopeEngineering, procurement, construction (EPC)
Delivery1998

 

Reference_Colombia

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Related press releases

Wärtsilä celebrates 30 years of building trust through its continued presence and performance in Colombia

Sep 11, 2023, 15:00 by Wärtsilä Corporation

Technology group Wärtsilä is currently celebrating 30 years of operations in the Colombian market. During these years, the company has delivered 500 MW of installed capacity to utilities, industrial consumers and mining operations. An anniversary event is being held in Bogotá in September to mark this milestone of continuous support for the Colombian energy market.

“This anniversary above all speaks to our commitment to the Colombian market, and to our support in providing reliable energy for a growing economy. It recognises three decades of mutual trust, collaboration, and shared vision,” said Risto Paldanius, Vice President, Americas at Wärtsilä Energy.

“As we reflect on our past relationships, we are at the same time even more enthusiastic regarding the future, a future where Wärtsilä continues to lead the way in delivering innovative, reliable, and sustainable solutions that will help Colombia achieve its decarbonisation goals.”

The operational flexibility, and fast-starting characteristics of Wärtsilä’s combustion engines provide effective grid-balancing capabilities to compensate for fluctuations in the supply from solar and wind.

According to the 2050 Energy Plan published by the Mining and Energy Planning Unit, it is expected that 25% of the energy matrix will come from non-conventional sources of renewable energy. This will contribute to meeting Colombia’s climate goals and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It has been projected that by 2023 Colombia will have more than 4,500 MW of installed capacity in non-conventional renewable energy sources.

Notable among Wärtsilä’s deliveries to Colombia is the 200 MW flexible baseload power plant in Córdoba Province. It is owned by Termotesorito, a joint-venture enterprise between private utility company Celsia, the independent power producer Proeléctrica, and the natural gas provider Canacol. The plant operates with eleven Wärtsilä 50 SG gas engines, and provides the system with critical grid-balancing capability.


Media contacts for more information on this news:

Roberto Velázquez
Marketing & Communications Manager Americas
Wärtsilä Energy
Mob: +52 1 56 2567 0920
roberto.velazquez@wartsila.com

Katri Pehkonen
Communications Manager
Wärtsilä Energy
Mob: +358 50 591 6180
katri.pehkonen@wartsila.com

Image caption: From left to right: Gonzalo Granda, Business Development Manager and Managing Director for Wärtsilä Colombia; Risto Paldanius, Vice President, Wärtsilä Americas; Óscar Jiménez, Energy Business Director, Wärtsilä Americas Central Region; Octavio Rocha, General Manager, Business Development, Wärtsilä Americas Central Region. © Wärtsilä Corporation

All Wärtsilä releases are available at https://www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases and at http://news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation where also the images can be downloaded.

Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy leads the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our partners to accelerate their decarbonisation journeys through our market-leading technologies and power system modelling expertise. These cover decarbonisation services, future-fuel enabled balancing power plants, hybrid solutions, energy storage and optimisation technology, including the GEMS Digital Energy Platform. Wärtsilä Energy’s lifecycle services are designed to increase efficiency, promote reliability and guarantee operational performance. Our track record comprises 76 GW of power plant capacity and 110 energy storage systems delivered to 180 countries around the world.
www.wartsila.com/energy    

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasise innovation in sustainable technology and services to help our customers continuously improve their environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 17,500 professionals in more than 240 locations in 79 countries shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2022, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.8 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com

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