Wärtsilä contracted to supply Africa's larges...

Wärtsilä Corporation, Press release, 23 March 2010, at 9.30 am (EET)

Wärtsilä, a leading provider of flexible decentralised power generation
solutions, has signed a contract to supply and install the largest gas engine
power plant ever to be installed on the African continent. The power plant will
be located in Kribi, a sea port lying on the Gulf of Guinea coast in the
Republic of Cameroon. The contract for this turnkey project is valued at
approximately EUR 120 million.

The order for this power plant project has been placed by the Independent Power
Producer (IPP), Kribi Power Development Company (KPDC), an affiliate of AES
Corporation. The scope of supply includes Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines that will
run primarily on gas. The power plant is scheduled to become fully operational
before the end of 2011. The electricity generated will be fed to the national
grid.

There were a number of factors behind Wärtsilä winning this contract. The high
efficiency of Wärtsilä's solution at any required load, its economical
superiority and the flexibility of the dual-fuel engines all proved to be
critical to the decision making process.

The new power plant is needed in order to meet the increasing demand for power
in the country. It will help diversify Cameroon's power generation, which is
predominantly based on hydropower. Also, with the added capacity, the old and
inefficient thermal power plants can be closed, thereby reducing the
environmental impact of the country's electricity generation. It is estimated
that the construction of the new power plant will create more than 500 jobs for
the local workers and its operation will require training of more than 60
skilled workers.

"The flexibility and operational cost advantages offered by Wärtsilä's dual-fuel
engines are being recognised on a global scale. The Cameroon national grid is
primarily driven by hydropower, which is obviously a fluctuating energy source.
Our engines provide that critical support flexibility that allows the customer
to adapt to these grid load variations and enhance the reliability of the
electricity supply system, especially during the dry season. Furthermore, the
utility is able to switch operation of the Wärtsilä engines from gas to light
fuel oil during maintenance of the gas supply platform", says Mr Arnaud Gouet,
General Manager, Wärtsilä Power Plants in South Africa.

This project follows the December 2009 inauguration of the 86 MW Dibamba power
plant in Yassa, Cameroon. The new power plant to be installed in Kribi, will
bring the total power output supplied by Wärtsilä engines in Cameroon to nearly
450 MW.



For further information, please contact:

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

Ms Tuula Franck
Senior Manager, External Communications
Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail] <mailto:[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 2009, Wärtsilä's net sales
totalled EUR 5.3 billion with more than 18,000 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 <

http://www.wartsila.com/>



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