The 267.4 MW Pavana III power plant in Honduras, Central America, was inaugurated on 28 January 2005. In a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception, Honduran President Ricardo Maduro officially inaugurated the plant, built by Wärtsilä Corporation for Luz y Fuerza de San Lorenzo S.A. (Lufussa), which is one of the world’s largest heavy fuel (HFO) plants using reciprocating engines.

“Lufussa’s investment in the Pavana III project, 190 million US dollars, is the largest private investment ever in the history of Honduras,” President Maduro stated. “Pavana III was built an impressive 12 months ahead of schedule,” he added.

Mr Schucry Kafie, President of Lufussa, said, “We are very proud to have chosen Wärtsilä as our business partners in helping us develop this huge project. Their dedication and technical professionalism is the best you can get in this field.”

Mr Pekka Ahlqvist, Group Vice President, Power Plants of Wärtsilä Corporation, states: “We are very happy to have had the opportunity to demonstrate our state-of-the-art technology and engineering services, as well as to arrange the 87 million dollar loan sponsored by Finnvera.”

The 450 persons at the inauguration ceremony and reception included numerous Honduran government officials, the Finnish Ambassador Inger Hirvela-Lopez, representatives of various regional and local banks which participated in the financing of the project, and many Honduran business people.

Lufussa awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract to Wärtsilä in August 2003. The plant entered commercial operation in two phases: the first phase took 12 months and provided 133 MW on 20 August 2004, while the second phase brought the plant to its full capacity of 267.4 MW on 16 November 2004.

The plant accommodates sixteen Wärtsilä 18V46 generating sets in two separate engine halls linked by the control room. This layout was selected for safety reasons and allows the operator to see all the engines. Pavana III is one of the first power plants to be equipped with Wärtsilä’s Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) system. This means that the plant is connected online through the internet to Wärtsilä’s CBM centre in Vaasa, Finland. Wärtsilä analyses the engine operation condition data and provides valuable feedback which allows Lufussa to extend the time between scheduled maintenance and reduce operational costs.

The site’s landscape and surroundings were taken into account when the plant was designed. The task was to create an aesthetically pleasing plant that blends with the environment whilst maintaining its functionality.

Since the power plant is in an arid region, its cooling system is based on radiators. The cooling system therefore conserves water and it needs only a very small quantity of water for replenishment.

The plant is designed to comply with the latest World Bank Guidelines for power plants (“Thermal Power – Guidelines for New Plants” 1998). A cost-effective approach to meeting the needs for environmental quality has been applied in the plant.