Wartsila starts work on El Salvador LNG power plant

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said Tuesday it recently started site work for a new 378 megawatt power plant in El Salvador to be fired by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

This facility, ordered by Energía del Pacífico, is being supplied by Wärtsilä on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract won back in 2015.

The power plant will be the largest in El Salvador, and one of the first in Central America to be fired by LNG, according to Wärtsilä.

The installation will feed electricity to the national grid. A dedicated floating LNG import terminal will be built at the same location.

This new terminal represents an important addition to El Salvador’s energy infrastructure with cheaper and efficient power generation in the country, the Finnish company noted in its statement.

The power plant will operate on nineteen Wärtsilä 50SG engines and a steam turbine in combined cycle, reaching a net plant efficiency of close to 50 percent.

Wärtsilä will also provide operation and maintenance services.

“This project marks an important milestone in the development of the country’s energy mix by utilising clean natural gas, and through the highly reliable, efficient, and flexible power offered by Wärtsilä’s multi-unit Flexicycle solution,” said Alejandro Alle, Managing Director of Energía del Pacífico.

The ground breaking ceremony took place on December 21, 2018 and was attended by the Vice President of El Salvador, Óscar Ortiz, the Mayor of Sonsonate, Roberto Aquino, as well as local officials and executives from Energía del Pacífico.