Finland-based power equipment manufacturer Wärtsilä announced that it has signed a 5-year operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement to support the 145MW Kyaukse gas engine power plant, in Mandalay region, Myanmar.
Image: The contract was signed by Mr U Maung Kyay, Managing Director, PowerGen Kyaukse Co. Ltd. and Nicolas Leong, Managing Director, Wärtsilä Myanmar Co. Ltd. Photo: Courtesy of Wärtsilä.
Wärtsilä said that it has signed O&M agreement with the plant owners PowerGen Kyaukse in February 2019.
The newly installed power plant features eight Wärtsilä 50SG gas fuelled engines and is constructed on a fast-track basis to mitigate the electricity shortage in Myanmar.
Wärtsilä Energy Business Middle East Asia vice president Sushil Purohit said: “This Operation and maintenance agreement is the first Wärtsilä Lifecycle solution to a power plant in Myanmar. Wärtsilä’s experience and track record in operations and maintenance services dates back almost 30 years, which is a convincing reference for our customers.
“Having supplied this power plant with the generating sets, this follow-up agreement is a clear endorsement of the added value that we can bring to our customers.”
The electricity produced at the plant is fed to the national grid, and under a power purchase agreement with the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) of Myanmar and the owners are obliged to provide plant availability and heat rate guarantees.
The owners have contracted Wärtsilä to operate and maintain the facility to meet the compliance associated with the requirements.
PowerGen Kyaukse board member U Aung Hlaing Oo said: “We consider Wärtsilä to be our long-term partner as we help to build up the energy sector in Myanmar.”
Recently, Wärtsilä has secured an order from Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to deliver a 132MW engine power plant for the Commonwealth of Bahamas.
BPL has awarded the order to the company on a full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis. The power plant is expected to be delivered as a priority project as it is targeted to start commercial operations by the end of summer 2019.
Operating on seven high efficiency Wärtsilä 50 engines, the facility is designed to be mainly fueled with liquefied natural gas (LNG) depending on the fuel’s local availability.