Wärtsilä to supply power plant running on met...

Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade and Technical Press release, 30 September 2011

By utilizing the indigenous and naturally occurring methane gas from Lake Kivu,
both economic and environmental targets can be met.

Wärtsilä, a leading supplier of flexible power plants and services to the global
power generation market, has been awarded the contract to supply a power plant
to the Republic of Rwanda. The turnkey project is of particular significance
since the power plant will utilize methane gas from the nearby Lake Kivu as
fuel. The order has been placed by KivuWatt Ltd, a subsidiary of the New York-
based international power company ContourGlobal. When operational, the power
plant will supply electricity to Rwanda's national utility.

This will be one of the first times ever that power generation is derived from
this type of gas, although two smaller power plants already operate using the
lake's methane gas for fuel. However, this is the first time that Lake Kivu's
methane gas will be used to fuel a power plant of this size. The plant will be
powered by 20-cylinder Wärtsilä 34SG gas-powered engines and have an electrical
output of 25 MW. Future planned expansions to this project will increase this
output by an additional 75 MW. Delivery of the equipment is scheduled for the
first quarter of 2012, and the plant is expected to be operational in the third
quarter of that same year.

Utilizing naturally occurring methane gas

Lake Kivu, located on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of
Congo, contains high concentrations of naturally occurring methane gas.  By
tapping this indigenous fuel to generate energy, the need to import energy can
be reduced. Furthermore, since the build-up of the gas is ongoing, it has been
predicted in studies that a saturation point will eventually be reached that
could lead to a catastrophic gas release. Extraction of the gas has thus the
potential to both mitigate the risks of dangerous eruptions and provide
substantial energy reserves. The actual extraction of gas from the lake,
however, is not included within Wärtsilä's contractual scope.

"For the Republic of Rwanda this is a win-win situation. On the one hand, gas
levels in Lake Kivu need to be reduced in order to lessen the risks of a
spontaneous gas eruption in the future that could have hazardous consequences.
At the same time, the country urgently needs additional power generation
capacity, and so by utilizing the lake's methane gas, both goals are achieved,"
says Mr Joseph C. Brandt, President and CEO of ContourGlobal.

"This is a landmark project, and one that has the potential for huge
environmental and economic implications," says Tony van Velzen, Regional
Director, Africa, Wärtsilä Power Plants. "This kind of unique challenge is one
that Wärtsilä is well able to handle. Smart Power Generation, providing the
ability to use the most readily available fuel, in this case methane gas, is a
key element in meeting future energy needs."

This will be Wärtsilä's second 25 MW power plant to be installed in Rwanda.
ContourGlobal also operates a 100 MW multi-fuel Wärtsilä power plant in Togo.

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

Wärtsilä gas power plants
Wärtsilä gas-fired engines
More information in an article (link to PDF)

For further information, please contact:

Tony van Velzen
Regional Director, Africa
Wärtsilä Power Plants
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]

Mirja-Maija Santala
Media Manager
Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel. [phone]
[e-mail]

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine
and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total
efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the
vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2010, Wärtsilä's net sales
totalled EUR 4.6 billion with more than 17,500 employees. The company has
operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed
on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.www.wartsila.com








More information in an article: 


http://hugin.info/131481/R/1551064/477650.pdf




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