May 14, 2012

Wärtsilä has signed a three-year operations and maintenance agreement with Sasol New Energy Holdings’s gas engine power plant project in Sasolburg, South Africa.

“The Sasolburg power plant is designed with high operating efficiency, low generating costs, and a minimal carbon footprint in mind and these are all areas where Wärtsilä excels,” says A.P.Singh, General Manager, Wärtsilä Solutions Support Services, South Europe & Africa.

The Sasol New Energy plant will be the largest power plant that runs exclusively on gas engines on the African continent. Because of the plant’s low emissions, it will be a major advance in developing Sasol’s electricity business.

“The gas engine power plant employs a cleaner fossil fuel based technology than traditional coal based technology and will reduce the CO2 emissions by approximately 1 million tons per annum. In addition, it also generates electricity at a higher efficiency,” says Kribs Govender, General Manager, Low Carbon Electricity, Sasol New Energy.

The plant has an installed capacity of 180 MW and it will provide the energy needed to power the company’s major production facilities that are currently under construction. The plant is expected to start operating at the end of 2012.

Source: Wärtsilä
Relevant sites: Sasol
Image: Wärtsilä