Wärtsilä to convert Brazilian power plant to natural gas, increase output

Wärtsilä plans to convert a Brazilian power plant to 100% natural gas operation while increasing the plant's output from 85 MW to 92 MW. The conversion project is scheduled to be fully completed by early 2022.

The company signed a contract with Companhia Energética Manauara for the Manauara power plant in Manaus, Brazil, which will supply energy to the national grid. The project includes converting the existing five Wärtsilä 46GD dual-fuel combustion engines to five Wärtsilä 50SG gas fueled engines, along with the required common system upgrades. The iimproved performance is expected to make the plant more competitive, the company said. In addition to the conversion, the two companies have renewed an operation and maintenance agreement for ten years. The service agreement has power plant performance guarantees related to heat rate, electrical capacity, lube oil consumption, spare parts consumption and plant availability.