The 215MW flexicycle plant is powered by 12 Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines
Image: Wärtsilä and EGE Haina sign long-term service agreement in the Dominican Republic. Photo: courtesy of Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Haina.
Wärtsilä and Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Haina (EGE Haina) have entered into an agreement to convert the Quisqueya 2 power plant to natural gas operation in the Dominican Republic.
Installed in 2013, the 215MW flexicycle plant is powered by 12 Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines.
Wärtsilä said that the engines have been liquid-optimised as only heavy fuel oil (HFO) has been available until now. After carrying out the conversion project, Quisqueya 2 power plant will be re-commissioned to run on gas.
The commissioning project contract was signed in September 2019.
EGE Haina development director José Rodríguez said: “Our company celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with plans to continue investing in sustainable energy towards 2030 with the development of 1,400 MW of renewable power generation and natural gas.
“Switching to natural gas in Quisqueya 2 is critical to our future operations, both for the plant’s environmental sustainability and because of the new PPA.”
According to Wärtsilä, the conversion will reduce the emission of harmful gases from the power plant which impacts the environment.
The Quisqueya 2 power plant will also become a chief provider of electricity and ancillary services to the national grid in the Dominican Republic.
It is a flexible baseload plant operating with a power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply electricity to the national grid.
Wärtsilä Energy Business Latin America North director Sampo Suvisaari said: “Wärtsilä 50DF engines are capable of running on different fuels, so with natural gas now becoming available for Quisqueya 2 it is time to enable dual-fuel operation.
“The re-commissioning is straightforward and the plant will soon operate with clean natural gas.”
The re-commissioning project is anticipated to be finished by mid-2020.
Wärtsilä and EGE Haina entered into long-term agreements in October
In October, Wärtsilä and EGE Haina had signed a long-term service agreement covering all the Wärtsilä power plants owned and/or operated by the latter company.
The agreement, which runs until the end of 2022, will allow accurate predictability of spare part and maintenance costs for the Quisqueya 2, Sultana del Este, and Palenque power plants with a combined capacity of nearly 400MW.