(EnergyAsia, December 21 2012, Friday) — Wartsila, a Finnish supplier of flexible and efficient power plant solutions, said it has signed a contract to supply and install the largest gas-fired power plant in Mozambique worth 138 million euro. (US$1=0.75 euro).

The company said it will also construct a sub-station and a gas pipeline as part of the contract signed with Central Termica de Ressano Garcia, a company jointly owned by Mozambique state utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and South Africa’s Sasol New Energy.

The plant will be powered by 18 of Wartsila’s 34SG engines with natural gas supplied from the Pande and Temane gas fields when it starts up by May 2014. Its electricity output will be sold to EDM.

Wartsila said it supplied gas engine technology best suited for Mozambique which has considerable gas reserves but faces water scarcity. The Finnish company said its gas engine technology features closed-circuit cooling that requires minimal water use.

“There is rapidly growing demand in Mozambique for electricity, and Wartsila has demonstrated its capability to provide competitive and comprehensive turnkey power plants with outstanding operational efficiency and minimum environmental impact,” said Vesa Riihimäki, President of company’s power plants unit.

To date, Wartsila said it has delivered 470 power plants to Africa with a total output of 5,000 MW.