Gulf Construction Online - Wartsila lands Ma’aden power plant contract

Contractors

Officials at the signing ceremony.

Wartsila lands Ma’aden power plant contract

01 May 2020

Global technology group Wärtsilä says it has been awarded a contract to supply engineering equipment and provide technical advisory for a 44 MW power plant coming up at Mansourah & Massarah gold project mine in Saudi Arabia.

It will be the first newbuild power project in the country to utilise a hybrid concept, with engine technology and solar energy. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in March by leading Indian construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T), which is the main contractor.

The power plant will comprise six Wärtsilä 32 engines, with five in operation and one on constant stand-by. The built-in flexibility of the Wärtsilä engine technology, which allows full power output to be reached within minutes of being started, will allow the plant to efficiently utilise renewable solar energy.

Amit Swarnkar, Mena BU Head, Metallurgical and Material Handling Division, L&T, says: “Reliability is key for any gold mine for securing uninterrupted operations and targeted revenues in all occasions. The dedicated power plant will ensure that the mine can operate on a reliable and economical supply of electricity.”

“In particular, we have selected the Wärtsilä technology because of its capability to enable the integration of PV (photovoltaic) solar into the system, which is important for this project,” states Swarnkar.

Alexandre Eykerman, Energy Business Director, Middle East of Wärtsilä, points out that maximising the use of renewable energy is central to Wärtsilä’s approach to enabling sustainable energy supplies.

“We enhance this energy transition by optimising energy systems for our customers, and have extensive experience in providing power for mining operations, so this project fits our capabilities perfectly,” he notes.

Eykerman says the Wärtsilä equipment will be delivered on a fast-track basis within just 10 months from the contract signing. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned by May 2021, with commercial operations beginning a year later.

The Mansourah & Massarah project is Saudi Arabian Mining Company’s (Ma’aden) largest ever gold project, estimated to produce an average of 250,000 ounces of gold per year over the life of the mine.

It is being executed by a consortium of Outotec and L&T. While Outotec remains the key technology provider for this project, L&T’s responsibility includes the entire balance of plant activities, supply of critical process equipment, the entire plant utilities, power generation and distribution, as well as the civil and structural works, together with the complete plant installation activities and commissioning support.

The on-site processing plant will be capable of processing up to four million tonnes per year of the complex refractory ores contained in the deposit – the first time such ores have been mined and processed in the Middle East.