Brazil power plant gets additional capacity with help from Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä has won a contract to help modify a power plant to operate on natural gas instead of diesel fuel.
The conversion at the UTE Ponta Negra plant in Brazil will upgrade its performance, reduce environmental impact, lower the operating costs and ensure its availability and performance reliability.
The contract with GERA Amazonas was signed with Wärtsilä in September last year.
The plant currently operates on five Wärtsilä 46GD gas-diesel engines, which will be converted to Wärtsilä 50SG engines powered by natural gas, allowing an increase in power generation capacity from the current 85 to 91 MW.
The conversion will enable the engines to be reset to zero hours of operation.
The use of 100% natural gas fuel will result in a reduction of 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE) per year, equivalent to the pollution from some 7,600 cars. In addition, particulate matter (PM) emissions will also be significantly reduced. The conversion is scheduled to commence in May 2021 and be completed in spring 2022.
An existing Wärtsilä operation and maintenance agreement was also updated to correspond with the scope and responsibilities applying to the new engine technology. The plant, which was opened in 2006, has been operated and maintained by Wärtsilä for the past 12 years. “GERA develops sustainable energy solutions for its clients. By converting the plant to run on the highly efficient, highly flexible Wärtsilä 50SG engines with natural gas fuel, we are again emphasising this commitment to the environment,” said Alcio Adler, executive director of GERA Amazonas.
The conversion at the UTE Ponta Negra plant in Brazil will upgrade its performance, reduce environmental impact, lower the operating costs and ensure its availability and performance reliability.
The contract with GERA Amazonas was signed with Wärtsilä in September last year.
The plant currently operates on five Wärtsilä 46GD gas-diesel engines, which will be converted to Wärtsilä 50SG engines powered by natural gas, allowing an increase in power generation capacity from the current 85 to 91 MW.
The conversion will enable the engines to be reset to zero hours of operation.
The use of 100% natural gas fuel will result in a reduction of 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE) per year, equivalent to the pollution from some 7,600 cars. In addition, particulate matter (PM) emissions will also be significantly reduced. The conversion is scheduled to commence in May 2021 and be completed in spring 2022.
An existing Wärtsilä operation and maintenance agreement was also updated to correspond with the scope and responsibilities applying to the new engine technology. The plant, which was opened in 2006, has been operated and maintained by Wärtsilä for the past 12 years. “GERA develops sustainable energy solutions for its clients. By converting the plant to run on the highly efficient, highly flexible Wärtsilä 50SG engines with natural gas fuel, we are again emphasising this commitment to the environment,” said Alcio Adler, executive director of GERA Amazonas.
