Wärtsilä Engines Delivering 292 MW to Alleviate Myanmar’s Power Shortages
The technology group Wärtsilä will deliver on a fast-track basis the equipment for two power plants being urgently installed in Myanmar. During the summer of 2019, the Yangon area of the country was subjected to power cuts of up to six hours a day. In order to avoid this situation being repeated, the Myanmar government has ordered additional generating capacity to be installed and operational within a matter of months. Each plant will feature eight Wärtsilä 50SG pure gas engines delivering a combined output of 146 MW. They will contribute more than five percent of Myanmar’s grid capacity. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in Q4 2019, with the equipment to be delivered before the end of February 2020.
The projects will be owned by a consortium between China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC) and VPower Group, Myanmar’s largest gas-fired engine power plant owner and operator. The two plants will operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel, and Wärtsilä’s vast experience and strong track record in high efficiency LNG fuelled engine technology was an important consideration in the award of the contract. However, of crucial importance was the company’s ability to meet the very demanding delivery schedule.
“Endeavouring to deliver the much-needed electricity to millions of households in Myanmar, we set stringent requirements on product efficiency, reliability and safety, and also the suppliers’ capability of timely delivery. Wärtsilä has proven in previous projects that it can be relied on to deliver on a fast-track schedule, and the high efficiency of its gas engine solutions is what is needed here. We appreciate the support and cooperation they are giving to ensure the success of these top priority projects,” said Earnest Cheung, Chief Commercial Officer of VPower Group.
In response, Kari Punnonen, Energy Business Director, North and South East Asia, Wärtsilä Energy Business said: “The consortium has taken a remarkable move to support Myanmar’s electrification on demanding schedule, and we are pleased to play our part in delivering on-time. These are flexible power plants that can operate base load at high efficiency but can also provide balancing power which is going to be necessary to introduce intermittent renewable energy sources in the Myanmar grid in the future.”
Wärtsilä’s recent project in Myanmar have contributed and helped Myanmar to achieve 50% electrification rate, celebrated by the Ministry of Energy and Electricity of Myanmar.
