The 26 MW Caracolito Cemex power plant operates on five Wärtsilä 18-cylinder 34SG engines in V-configuration running on natural gas. It provides the electricity needed to power the cement facility’s day-to-day production requirements. It also provides reliability of supply, which is critical to the operation of the production machinery. In addition to reliability, Wärtsilä’s continued O&M services ensure, among other things, optimised and guaranteed performance, and financial predictability of the O&M costs, while enabling Cemex to focus on its core business of cement production.
“Over the years Wärtsilä has provided us with reliable and efficient support, and we are pleased to extend this partnership for a further period of time. The company fully meets our expectations and requirements in the running and maintaining of the power plant, allowing us to run our production in accordance with the established key performance indicators,” said Jairo Guerrero, Energy Director, Cemex Colombia and Caribbean.
The O&M relationship between Wärtsilä and Cemex Colombia started in 1998 with a 15-year agreement and is one of the longest made by Wärtsilä with an energy customer. The latest extension to the end of 2023 was signed in December 2019, marking thus 25 years of continuous partnership. The order was booked with Wärtsilä in January 2020.
“25 years of continuous operation and maintenance of this plant indicates that we must be doing something right. From a wider perspective, it confirms Wärtsilä’s position as a world-class O&M services provider, as well as a trustworthy and valued business partner for the entire lifecycle of the power plant,” said Sampo Suvisaari, Energy Business Director, Latin America North.
The plant is located near Ibagué, a city in the department of Tolima in Colombia. Wärtsilä employs 15 personnel in the running of the power plant, all of whom were hired locally.
