Wärtsilä will supply two 50 MW Smart Power Generation plants to energy and services company Centrica in the UK. Each plant is based on five Wärtsilä 34SG engines running on natural gas. The power plants are scheduled to be operational in 2018. Wärtsilä’s scope covers the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC). The order is booked in January, 2017.
Centrica was successful in the latest capacity market auction in the UK securing agreements for more than 500MW of new build power facilities. The two gas-fired Smart Power Generation plants will be located at Brigg in North East Lincolnshire and Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. The plants will generate balancing power into the national grid and will together be capable of providing electricity for approximately 100,000 homes in less than two minutes from start to full load.
The ability to start rapidly is one of the key reasons why Wärtsilä’s power plant technology was chosen for these sites. The UK has added substantial amounts of intermittent renewable power generation and the power system needs flexible power plants to make sure that the system is kept reliable. Furthermore, the capacity mechanism in the UK allows Centrica to operate fast response gas-fired plant competitively in the balancing market.
“Centrica’s decision to go with our technology is a testament to the fact that our Smart Power Generation technology plays a key role in the UK power system. It shows that flexibility is needed and rewarded by the market,” says Bent Iversen, Business Development Manager at Wärtsilä Energy Solutions.
The plants will be the biggest medium-speed engine-based gas power plants in the UK. With these new plants Wärtsilä’s installed capacity in the UK exceeds 250 MW. Adding flexible gas power generation allows the UK to continue adding more renewables to the power system and thus reducing system level emissions. Wärtsilä’s total installed power generation capacity is over 60GW in 176 countries.
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For more information:
Bent Iversen
Business Development Manager
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
Tel: +45 96207765
bent.iversen@wartsila.com
Jukka-Pekka Niemi
General Manager, Marketing
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
Tel: +358 50 465 2805
jukka-pekka.niemi@wartsila.com
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions in brief
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions is a leading global supplier of ultra-flexible power plants of up to 600 MW operating on various gaseous and liquid fuels. Our portfolio includes unique solutions for baseload, peaking, reserve and load-following power generation, as well as for balancing intermittent renewable energy. Wärtsilä Energy Solutions also provides utility-scale solar PV power plants, as well as LNG terminals and distribution systems. As of 2016, Wärtsilä has 60 GW of installed power plant capacity in 176 countries around the world.
www.smartpowergeneration.com
Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.
In 2016, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.8 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com
