Wärtsilä gets renewal of O&M contract for power plants

Wärtsilä has been awarded a three-year renewal to its Operation and Maintenance (O&M) agreement covering two power plants in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, a Southeast Asian nation occupying half the island of Timor.

One of two power plants in Timor-Leste that have renewed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contracts with Wärtsilä. (Photo: Wärtsilä)

The two baseload plants supply electricity for the entire country and the contract was signed with the country’s state-owned utility Electricidade de Timor Leste (EDTL).

The plants both operate with Wärtsilä engine generating sets and have been covered by Wärtsilä O&M agreements since their commissioning.

The Hera power plant, located close to the country’s capital Dili, operates with seven Wärtsilä 46 engines and delivers an output of 119 MW. The Betano plant, which is located in the south of the country, produces 136 MW from eight Wärtsilä 46 engines. Both plants have been in full operation since 2012.

“We have been extremely satisfied with the reliability and performance of these vitally important power plants,” said Paulo da Silva, president of EDTL. “This speaks highly of both the efficiency of the Wärtsilä engine technology, as well as the professionalism and competence of their O&M service. We are pleased to renew this agreement.”

A key element of the agreement is the continuous remote monitoring of the generating sets from Wärtsilä’s Expertise Centres. This service is intended to optimize performance and maintenance planning procedures to ensure the security of Timor-Leste’s power supply. Wärtsilä also provides training for the locally employed staff as part of the agreement.

Wärtsilä currently has 10 Expertise Centres located in strategic locations around the world. Together, the facilities support Lifecycle Solution agreement customers with advice and recommendations based on the analysis of data from monitoring the condition and performance of the specified installation.

“The country’s electricity supply is very much dependent on these two power plants, and we are very proud to say that for the past several years, there have been no unplanned outages at all,” said Kari Punnonen, Energy Business director, Australasia, Wärtsilä. “The plants have performed at maximum capacity, even during the challenging COVIDS crisis, and for this we must pay tribute to the technical capabilities of our local team, and to the thorough training provided. We are proud to have been awarded a renewal of this contract, which is an indication of the customer value that we can deliver.”