Wärtsilä And JB Corporation Sign A 9-Year Optimised Maintenance Agreement To Ensure Operational Reliability Of South Korean Power Plant

The technology group Wärtsilä has signed a long-term Optimised maintenance agreement with South Korean energy provider JB Corporation. The agreement covers three Wärtsilä 34SG engine generating sets providing electricity and hot water for consumers served by the JB power plant in Cheongsu. The 9-year agreement was placed in August.

The Wärtsilä engines operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and have been in operation for a number of years. The long-term agreement will ensure their continued operational efficiency and reliability, while providing JB Corporation with budgeted maintenance costs. Under the terms of the contract, Wärtsilä will provide scheduled spare part deliveries, as well as field service, maintenance planning, and Asset Diagnostics of the engines for a bi-annual fixed fee.

”A reliable supply of power and heat is extremely important to our consumer customers, and this agreement with Wärtsilä will ensure that the engines are efficiently and professionally maintained for this purpose. We very much appreciate Wärtsilä’s support and look forward to many more years of successful operation from their generating sets,” commented Mr Jae Hwa Woo, Executive Director of JB Corporation.

“Being able to accurately predict and calculate the maintenance budget is a significant benefit for power producers, and this can best be achieved with a maintenance agreement. Furthermore, our optimised maintenance offering allows the customer to concentrate on the core business of selling power and heat, while knowing that the plant’s operational performance will be maximised with the support of Wärtsilä South Korean Agreement Manager. The Agreement Manager will work closely with the customer to plan for the optimum time for maintenance work and address any technical issue. The Asset Diagnostics gives valuable data on the engines’ health, and reduces the possibility of unplanned shutdowns,” said Mr Nicolas Leong, Energy Business Director, North & South East Asia, Wärtsilä Energy.

The combined output from the three Wärtsilä engines is 25.2 MW. The fast-starting flexibility and grid balancing capability of the engines will facilitate possible future integration of energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind. The South Korean government plans to have 40 percent of the country’s energy supplied from renewable sources by 2034.