Argentinean O&M contract for Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä, a leading supplier of flexible power plants for the decentralized power generation market, has won an operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for a power plant which the company is currently installing at Cardero Resource Corp’s 100%-owned Mina Pirquitas silver mining project in the north of Argentina.

Under the five-year contract Wärtsilä will operate and maintain the power plant, for which it is currently supplying equipment and engineering services. The new base load power plant is designed to provide electricity for mining activities at the site. The equipment delivery includes three Wärtsilä 18V34SG engines, which run on natural gas and have a total output of 15 MW.

Tomas Hakala, President of Wärtsilä in Latin America, commented on the delivery: "This is a valuable order, and one that represents a further endorsement of Wärtsilä's ability to provide the right solutions in a variety of climates and operating conditions around the world. The power plant for the Mina Pirquitas project will be operating at an altitude of 4500m, and our proven success at meeting the challenge of high altitude operations was a key to being awarded this contract."

In the current economic climate, many energy-intensive industries are looking for ways to increase their competitiveness through reducing energy costs. The installation of Wärtsilä equipment at the Mina Pirquitas power plant will allow Cardero to produce its own energy and improve the reliability of its supply, as the area has inherently unstable grid conditions.