Image: Wärtsilä
Finnish energy equipment manufacturing company, Wärtsilä, will provide fuel-flexible dual-fuel engines for a captive power plant at Flour Mills Nigeria – the West African country’s oldest and largest food company – to modernize, extend, and improve power generation and meet production needs.
The first order, placed in March, will comprise a 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engine generator set that will serve as an extension to previously installed engine generators, which were provided by Wärtsilä in 2017. The second order features a 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF engine generator set meant to replace the currently inefficient mono-fuel generating system in the plant with dual-fuel generating capabilities.
To ensure the essential Lagos-based Flour Mills Nigeria power plant remains functional and consistent for food production, the new engines will have the capability of transitioning seamlessly from natural gas to liquid fuel while running at full capacity, and facilitate a continuous supply of electricity regardless of the quantity or quality of the natural gas supply, while simultaneously accommodating future fuel infrastructure developments.
The engine generator sets are expected to be delivered this year and become fully operational by early-2022.
“Repeat orders from a customer, such as these, signify the satisfaction with our solution, as well as cements the relationship between our companies,” stated Marc Thiriet, Energy Business Director for Wärtsilä West Africa, adding that “Operational flexibility and efficiency are becoming key issues in energy production and are especially relevant for production facilities with a critical need for a reliable electricity supply.”
The move comes in the wake of the Nigerian government’s 30-30-30 vision document, which aims to achieve a national capacity of 30,000 MW by 3030, with at least 30% deriving from renewable sources.
Wärtsilä currently has a leading position in the provision of energy equipment in West Africa, with a capacity of 4,792 MW installed in the region, of which 667 MW is installed in Nigeria. The company has been in the country since 2010 and currently has approximately 90 locally hired employees.
