Wärtsilä supplies 161 MW Flexicycle power plant to Saudi Arabia

Wärtsilä has signed a major contract to supply a 161 MW Flexicycle (combined cycle) power plant to Yamama Cement Company in Saudi Arabia. Wärtsilä will deliver a full EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) project. In addition to the EPC contract, a 5-year operation and maintenance management agreement and a 10-year spare parts supply agreement have also been signed, the Corporation said Tuesday in a press release.

The power plant includes ten 18-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines and a steam turbine. The value of the order is approximately EUR 115 million. The contract was included in Wärtsilä’s order book in the first quarter of 2016. The contract announcement was delayed until June 2016 due to the finalisation of techno-commercial details and the operation and maintenance management agreement. The power plant will be delivered in four phases. The first part is estimated to be delivered by the end of 2017 and the complete plant is scheduled to be handed over during the second quarter of 2019. The delivery is aligned with the construction schedule of a new Yamama cement plant.

This is a dual-fuel power plant operating primarily on natural gas with light fuel oil and crude oil as back up fuels. This will be Wärtsilä’s first gas fired Flexicycle power plant in Saudi Arabia. The plant will provide power to run the Yamama facility, which has a daily production capacity of 20,000 tonnes of cement. Because of the plants’ remote locations, most of the cement industry in Saudi Arabia is powered by captive power plants such as this one.  

“Wärtsilä has a reputable track record in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and they have offered an efficient and reliable solution for a harsh operating environment. We consider this relationship a strategic partnership and hopefully it will be rewarding for both parties,” says Mr. Jehad Abdul Aziz Al Rasheed, General Manager, Yamama Cement Company.

“We appreciate and value the partnership with Yamama Cement Company for the power plant project. This will be a landmark power plant in Saudi Arabia because of its combined cycle and dual-fuel capabilities,” says Haidar Mohammad Al Hertani, Managing Director, Wärtsilä Saudi Arabia.