Wärtsilä, a leading global supplier of flexible and efficient power plant solutions and services, has signed a technical management agreement with member-owned co-operative utility, Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) in the state of Alaska. The agreement, signed in December 2014, will support the operation and maintenance of the Eklutna Generation Station, located in Eklutna, Alaska, approximately 20 miles north-east of Anchorage.
MEA’s power plant is equipped with ten 18-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines which will run on natural gas. The five year technical management agreement provides support for the condition based monitoring services, remote troubleshooting, spare parts, technical labor, and computer maintenance management for the power plant. The agreement is customized to meet MEA’s requirement for a flexible solution to assist with maintenance of the new plant and will offer advanced diagnostics and condition monitoring of the Eklutna Power Station.
“We are pleased to continue our positive working relationship with Wärtsilä,” said Joe Griffith, General Manager of Matanuska Electric Association. “This agreement will provide MEA and its members with the additional reassurance that the new 171 MW power plant will be operated both efficiently and reliably.”
“We are glad to have the opportunity to work together with MEA to support their operations and maintenance of their new power plant. Our services will help to enable flexible and reliable operations over the long-term,” comments Aron Rader, Area General Manager, Solutions Support, Wärtsilä.
The Eklutna Generation Station will be utilized to serve MEA’s local service area and address broader regional needs through MEA’s roughly 4,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines, while meeting the State of Alaska air quality permits specific to this project. The plant will provide intermediate load following electricity generation, meaning that during periods of low demand such as at night, the load will be reduced and individual units can be shut down. The generation station is scheduled to go into commercial operation in 2015.
Wärtsilä Services
Wärtsilä provides support for its customers throughout the lifecycle of their installations by optimizing efficiency and performance regardless of the equipment make. The company's service solutions range from basic support, installation and commissioning, performance optimization, upgrades, conversions and environmental solutions, to service projects and agreements focusing on overall equipment performance and asset management.
Wärtsilä delivers its services through a network of service stations, workshops and ship repair centres in 70 countries worldwide.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Aron Rader
Area General Manager, Agreement Services (Power Plants)
Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel. +1 954 3274700
aron.rader@wartsila.com
Mrs. Amy Bricker
Manager, Communications & Branding, USA
Wärtsilä North America, Inc.
Tel. +1 281 2336228
amy.bricker@wartsila.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