Wartsila Secures Gas Power Plant Contract in UAE

Wärtsilä, a leading provider of flexible power plant solutions to the global power generation market, has been awarded the contract to supply the equipment and engineering for a power plant to be supplied to Utico FZC, Ras Al Khaima, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 39 MW plant will be powered by four 20-cylinder Wärtsilä 34SG generating sets fuelled by natural gas. This will be the first power plant in the Middle East to be fuelled by gas engines. It is also Wärtsilä’s first power project in the UAE.

The contract has been signed with Utico FZC, an independent utility. The power plant is expected to be operational in the spring 2012, and will be used to supply electricity to industries in the surrounding area. Due to the rapid growth in industrial projects and new real estate development in the surrounding area, there is an increasing demand for electricity generating capacity. The new power plant is intended to help meet this demand.

“As part of its expansion this almost 40MW project to 80MW – and eventually to 100MW, Utico has chosen Wärtsilä to provide it with the efficiencies and higher reliability it seeks in the power sector. Wärtsilä’s gas engines are known for their high reliability and efficiency. Moreover, Wärtsilä’s depth of experience fits into Utico’s business model and plans to maintain growth through co-operation with major partners capable of delivering added value,” says Richard Menzes, Vice Chairman, Utico.

”This is a showcase project for Wärtsilä and another example of our ability to provide smart power generation solutions. It is our first gas-fuelled power plant in the United Arab Emirates, and it will demonstrate to operators throughout the region the high quality and reliability of our technology in this field,” says Lars-Åke Kjell, Regional Director, Wärtsilä Power Plants Middle East. ”We were able to meet the customer’s needs for reliability, both technically and as a business partner. We will also be able to provide valuable support for the operation from our service centre in Dubai.”

Utico is the largest full service, independently held private utility in the UAE. The company provides a complete spectrum of utility services, including electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. Among its largest projects are a 22.4 MIGD (million imperial gallon per day) Seawater Desalination Plant, a 40 MW gas fired power plant, a 10,000TR (tons of refrigeration) chilled water system, 120 kms of transmission network, and more than150 kms of distribution network.

Wärtsilä gas power plants are designed for optimal production performance in a broad variety of peaking, intermediate and baseload applications. The power plants are based on modular 4–19 MW engine units operating on gaseous fuels. These smart power generation solutions offer high output and high simple cycle efficiency even in the most challenging ambient conditions and locations. World-class operational flexibility with uniquely fast starts, stops, and restarts, ensure perfect control over daily load fluctuations.

Wärtsilä LLC, located in Dubai, UAE is a fully equipped service office and workshop geared to meet the needs of its local and global customers. There are more than 300 employees. The workshop is the biggest in the Middle East serving the marine and power plant segments.

As at the end of 2010, Wärtsilä had delivered 4500 power plants to 168 countries, providing a total of over 47 GW of energy capacity.

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Source: Wärtsilä, September 12, 2011;