Wärtsilä extends the commercial operation and improves efficiency of the Minersa power plant in Spain
The technology group Wärtsilä has renewed its contract with the Spain-based Minerales y Productos Derivados SA (Minersa) to increase efficiency, lower emissions and improve safety of their power plant. The four-year maintenance agreement was signed in June 2017.
Minersa has continued to renew its partnership agreement with Wärtsilä to optimise the performance of its 4.5 MW baseload power plant. Furthermore, Minersa wanted to extend the lifecycle of its power generation equipment and upgrade the engine control systems with the latest technology available in the market. Minersa and Wärtsilä signed the maintenance agreement for the first time in 2000.
The renewed maintenance agreement ensures the most efficient operation and optimised performance of the power plant located in Asturias, in the northwest of Spain. The power plant supplies electrical energy to the local mining industry, and its yearly energy output equals the consumption of 20,000 households. In addition to Wärtsilä’s maintenance and advisory services, the scope of the agreement covers upgrading of the control systems for two Wärtsilä 25SG engines. With the upgrade to the WECS Base 1+ control systems developed by Wärtsilä, the engines’ gas consumption will be reduced by over 5% and the productive lifetime of the engines will be extended.
In addition to the efficiency improvement, the upgrade results in approximately 5% lower CO2 emissions and improved safety.
Enhanced asset performance with lifecycle maintenance
“Wärtsilä’s solution is tailored to our specific needs. We needed a profitable gas technology solution that would improve the engine efficiency and performance of the power plant. Furthermore, we were looking for demonstrated cost savings. Lower fuel consumption reduces not only the operating costs of the power plant but also its environmental impact. Our highest priority is to produce sufficient amounts of energy for our end customers, reliably and cost-effectively. Wärtsilä helps us ensure we deliver on that customer promise,” says José Alonso, Managing Director, Minersa Fluorspar, part of the Minersa Group.
“The renewed maintenance agreement extends the close cooperation Wärtsilä has engaged in with Minersa for nearly 20 years. This kind of customer loyalty is a strong recommendation for the innovativeness of Wärtsilä technology and for the reliability of our service,” says Till Siegmann, Director Services Unit, Wärtsilä Ibérica.