Wärtsilä to Improve Reliability and Sustainability of Papua New Guinea Energy Sector

The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded a turnkey contract to supply a 58MW power plant in Papua New Guinea in partnership with Australia-based Clough Ltd.

A venture between Oil Search Power Holdings Ltd and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd, the power plant forms part of an infrastructure building programme developed by NIUPOWER. The order for the plant was booked in August 2017.

The plant will be located near Port Moresby, the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea, and will operate on six Wärtsilä 34SG engines running on clean burning natural gas.

This will be the first utility scale gas engine project in Papua New Guinea, and will make a notable contribution to easing the carbon footprint of electricity generation in the country. The efficiency of the 34SG engines will also provide a reliable source of baseload power for the local grid.

“This is an important addition to the country’s power supply capabilities. The combination of Wärtsilä engines and Clough’s construction experience will give us a state-of-the art facility that will support our grid and, at the same time, be environmentally sustainable,” commented Michael Krause, project director, NIUPOWER.

“This project typifies the needs of today’s electricity generating market with high efficiency, low lifecycle costs, and environmental sustainability being the key requirements. We are proud that Wärtsilä has been chosen to meet these needs,” noted Sushil Purohit, vice-president, Middle East, Asia & Australia, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions.

Under the terms of the turnkey contract, Wärtsilä will provide the gas engines, generators and related auxiliaries, while Clough will be responsible for the remaining plant equipment, the installation, and the plant construction. The project is expected to be completed in late-2018.