Wärtsilä Modular Block solution ordered for West African gold mine

• 4 years ago (2019-12-17)
• David Flin

Africa 320 Gas engine plant 64

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Wärtsilä has announced the first order of its new Wärtsilä Modular Block solution for power generation by Aggreko . Wärtsilä will provide four enclosures, each with one medium-speed Wärtsilä 32 engine, to provide 40MW to an off-grid gold mine in West Africa. This contract is the first one signed under the cooperation agreement between Wärtsilä and Aggreko that was announced in June 2019.

The Wärtsilä Modular Block will replace the existing diesel generators currently powering the mine. Wärtsilä said that the high efficiency of the engines will create substantial monthly savings in fuel costs, and that fast-starting and load-following capabilities will facilitate the integration of renewables into the mine’s energy system.

Three blocks providing a total of 30MW will be installed next to the existing power station in 2020. The fourth 10MW block will be installed in 2022. The agreement with Aggreko includes an option to add a fifth 10MW unit to the power plant.