The €100m contract was awaded by BHP Billiton Chile, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton through KELAR, a Korea Southern Power (KOSPO) and Samsung C&T consortium.
Under the contract, Alstom will supply two GT13E2 gas turbines equipped with the new advanced environmental (AEV) burner that employs a new continuous fuel variation concept as the basis for more flexible and reliable operations.
In addition, the burner introduces emissions-compliant low-load operation, which enables operators to react to demand changes rapidly and reduce maintenance costs by reducing the frequency of plant shutdowns.
Constructed by Samsung Engineering, the Kelar power plant will have a capacity of 517MW and will address the power needs of the mining activity of Minera Escondida and its associated activities, belonging to BHP Billiton.
Alstom Gas Business senior vice president Steve Meszaros said the mining activity needs a reliable, competitive and clean power supply that allows them to run 24/7 while supporting their expansion projects.
"We are proud to see that the market has once again recognised our gas turbines as the most suitable for Chile’s conditions and operational needs," Meszaros added.
The two units of Kelar power plant are expected to be commissioned at the end of 2016.
