Works will focus on converting the existing five Wärtsilä 46GD dual-fuel combustion engines to five Wärtsilä 50SG gas fueled engines, and additional system upgrades.
Once completed, the improved plant performance will raise its overall competitiveness, especially with regard to winning contracts in Brazil’s future energy auctions. The operator RAESA seeks to extend its existing Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to sell the entire power output from the Cristiano Rocha plant to the Brazil’s national grid.
The current contract is set to expire in 2025.
No more need for rental power units
“The combination of converting to fully gas-powered operation and having a supporting long-term service agreement will deliver clear economic, performance, and environmental benefits,” said Edésio Nunes, CEO of Multiner. In his view, “this upgrade provides an avenue to transform our business to a more viable future enterprise.”
At present, RAESA rents additional generators to ensure adequate output of the Cristiano Rocha power plant. The cost for rental power and more expensive diesel fuel will be eliminated when the conversion is completed.
Furthermore, the use of natural gas fuel will reduce the plant’s carbon emissions by some 10 percent, representing some 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, which equals the pollution from some 7600 cars.
According to Tom Lindqvist, responsible for service projects at Wärtsilä Energy, the conversion and upgrade will increase the plant’s operational reliability and diminish operating costs, while the service agreement will optimize equipment maintenance and planning, guarantee the capacity, and enable predictability of maintenance costs. “We shall have a dedicated technical consultant on hand at the plant to ensure that the capacity guarantees are met,” he noted.