Mexicali_ParqueIndustrial
​Mexico´s Federal Electricity Commission + Wärtsilä

Reference case

​Enhancing Energy Supply and Reliability in Baja California, Mexico

The 200 MW Altar plant and the 400 MW Mexicali Oriente plant are owned and operated by CFE, the Mexican state-owned utility, and they are part of CFE´s Strategic Plan for Baja California to guarantee the sufficiency of the electricity supply in this region. ​

The handovers took place in June 2023 and are now fully operational. Both projects are also supported by a three-year Wärtsilä Guaranteed Asset Performance (GAP), to secure the two plants’ output reliability and availability. ​

​These plants are important for the northwest region of Mexico. Electricity demand during the summer months in the Baja California Peninsula grows significantly as temperatures can rise to as much as 50 degrees C. ​

The two plants are needed to offset this increase in demand and will supply baseload energy 24/7 during the summer months. The Baja California system remains isolated from the national grid, and the electricity supply was earlier covered by emergency power tenders. The Wärtsilä power plants provide CFE with the system stability needed with high efficiency and at a competitive consumer cost.

WhoMexico´s Federal Electricity Commission
What400 MW Mexicali Oriente power plant​/ 200 MW Altar power plant
WhereMexicali, Baja California / San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora; Mexico
HowWärtsilä 18V50DF / 20V34DF flexible baseload power plant​

 

This is what we achieved

600

MW of electrical output

50+

C degree dispatch with minimal impact on power output​

24/7

baseload energy supply during the summer months

We were able to deliver, build, and commission these two very large power plants in well under two years from receipt of the order, even during a global supply chain crisis. This says a lot about Wärtsilä’s project management capabilities.

Risto Paldanius, VP Wärtsilä Americas​

How we did it

Challenge icon

Challenge

  • Tight deadline
  • Need for efficient baseload
  • Strict emission regulations
Solution icon

Solution

  • NOX-tunes engine configuration
  • Fast-track delivery
  • Wärtsilä long term service agreement since COD
Benefit icon

Benefit

  • Uninterrupted generation
  • Fuel savings, educed emissions
  • Start generation as soon as possible

The main details

Customer ​Mexico´s Federal Electricity Commission​Mexico´s Federal Electricity Commission
TypeWärtsilä 18V50DF flexible baseload power plantWärtsilä 20V34DF flexible baseload power plant
WhereMexicali, Baja California; MexicoSan Luis Río Colorado, Sonora; Mexico
Total output 400 MW200 MW
Fuel LFO Natural gas
ScopeEngineering, procurement, Construction (EPC)Engineering, procurement, Construction (EPC)
Delivery20222022

 

Mexicali_Mexico_map

Would you like to know more?

Contact us

Contact us

Fill in a contact form and our experts aim to be in contact within 1-2 business days. Contact us »

PDF

Read our brochure

Read our product brochure to get all the details.

Location

Find your local office

Find a Wärtsilä office near you. Access the global address book ».

Related solutions and services

Related materials

Trusted partner to the best companies in the world

Related press releases

Fast-track power plant delivered to Mexico with O&M agreement, Wärtsilä supplies the complete package

Dec 7, 2018, 12:00 by Wärtsilä Corporation

A 130 MW power plant, delivered on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis by the technology group Wärtsilä, has commenced full operations. Wärtsilä also operates and maintains the facility under a three-year operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement. The natural gas fuelled plant was ordered in October 2017 by Pemcorp, a Mexico-based independent power producer, on behalf of the owners, Texas-based Arroyo Energy Investors, specialists in power generation projects. The plant operates on seven Wärtsilä 50SG gas-fuelled engines, each with an output of 18.7 MW.

The facility is located close to the city of Monterrey, Mexico. It will provide the electricity supply for a nearby major Asian automobile factory under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). Full operations commenced in September 2018, just 11 months after the signing of the original order with Wärtsilä.

The O&M agreement between Wärtsilä and Pemcorp, which was signed in September, includes a 15-year Guaranteed Asset Performance Agreement. Additionally, Wärtsilä is providing a Recovery Guarantee for the generator sets to ensure a rapid recovery process in the case of an unforeseen event causing an interruption to the power generation.

“Because of our PPA obligations, it was essential to have extremely fast response, both in time-to-market and in operations in order to provide high-quality power to our customer. Wärtsilä succeeded in supplying and constructing the plant in just 11 months, which was an impressive feat. Furthermore, the efficiency, reliability, and flexibility of the Wärtsilä engines, backed by the operations, maintenance, and performance agreements, provide the long-term predictability and reliability required by international capital markets investors. Given this experience, Arroyo will look to deploy Wärtsilä technology elsewhere in the region,” commented Matthew Ginzberg, Principal, Arroyo Energy Investors. 

“The high reliability offered by our multi-unit power plant solution, combined with high simple-cycle efficiency, were the key factors in our being awarded this contract. The value proposition that we are able to provide represents a complete package. It combines our equipment, procurement, and construction (EPC) capabilities with the backing of O&M service, to give a winning format,” said Sampo Suvisaari, Regional Director, Latin America North and the Caribbean, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions.

Image caption: The agreement was signed by Matthew Ginzberg, Principal, Arroyo Energy Partners, and Raúl Carral, Business Development Manager, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions.

For more information, please contact:

Raul Carral
Business Development Manager, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
Tel. +1 (281) 233-6210
raul.carral@wartsila.com

Fabien Cadaut
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
Tel: + 358 40 756 5959
fabien.cadaut@wartsila.com
 

Wärtsilä Energy Solutions in brief
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions is leading the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. As an Energy System Integrator, we understand, design, build and serve optimal power systems for future generations. Our offering includes ultra-flexible internal combustion engine-based power plants, hybridised solar power plants, energy storage & integration solutions, as well as gas to power systems. Wärtsilä’s solutions provide the needed flexibility to integrate renewables and secure power system reliability. Wärtsilä has 68 GW of installed power plant capacity in 177 countries around the world.
www.wartsila.com/energy
 

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2017, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.9 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com

Arroyo Energy Investors in brief
Arroyo Energy Investors is an independent private equity firm that focuses on investing in energy infrastructure assets in the power generation, power storage and midstream space in North and South America. Arroyo Energy Investors has offices in The Woodlands, Texas and Santiago, Chile.

Wärtsilä Energy. Let's connect.