New Wärtsilä power plant will support industry development in Equatorial Guinea

The technology group Wärtsilä was awarded a 38 MW power plant project by the EPC company Groupement TEC-IEE in Equatorial Guinea. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons with the intention to boost the development of local industry. The order was booked in Q3 2018.

A 24 MW Wärtsilä power plant located in Bata, the country’s largest city, already provides thermal production of energy for continental Equatorial Guinea, a nation of 1.2 million inhabitants. Wärtsilä has been present in the country for a number of years and has established a significant installed base throughout the African continent. This local presence and regional experience were cited as being key reasons for selecting Wärtsilä to supply the power plant.

The new plant will operate with four Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engines. The engines will run primarily on gas supplied from the country’s offshore fields but can seamlessly switch to light fuel oil (LFO) if required. The reliability and flexibility of the engines were considered important when selecting Wärtsilä for the project.

H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines, Industry and Energy in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea commented: “Equatorial Guinea will be one of the main LNG hubs in the region and the idea of our Government is to continue with the monetization of our gas. For several African countries, including Equatorial Guinea, Gas-to-Power will be the anchor sector for the development of a domestic and regional gas and power economy in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

“Being able to support our installations through a strong local presence is central to our success, said Antoine de Chaumont, Business Development Manager, Africa West, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions. This project is important for Equatorial Guinea as it boosts local industry development by providing a reliable and competitive energy supply, and Wärtsilä is proud to have been selected as the solution provider.”

Wärtsilä has a deep understanding of the LNG value chain and an extensive offering in LNG related solutions. Wärtsilä is also working with the LNG2Africa network whose mission is to build relationships and infrastructure that facilitate an intra-African LNG industry, and thereby provide power and industrial development.