Finnish technology firm Wartsila has signed a 10-year maintenance and an optional operational advisory service agreement with an unnamed Argentine company for an undisclosed fee. The agreement provides a guaranteed performance for a 57.6-MW power plant delivering electricity to its own operations in the south region of Argentina, with any excess power being sent to the national grid, it said April 30.

The scope of the agreement includes remote operational support and planned and unplanned maintenance, covering both spare parts and labour, and an optional permanent on-site advisor.

The plant will operate on five 31SG reciprocating engines, which are less efficient than combined-cycle turbines. Wartsila says it is the most efficient gas engine in its class. The power plant is expected to become fully operational later this year and it will be the largest in the world utilising the Wärtsilä 31SG engine. Able to reach full output within minutes of start-up, the engine can balance the renewable energy input from an adjacent wind farm. This creates an energy system that is essentially a hybrid arrangement.

The site suffers from challenging ambient condition, with wind speeds of up to 180 km/hr and temperatures ranging from - 15 to + 40 °C, for which the engine has been designed.