Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply the equipment and engineering for a new power plant being built on the island of Rhodes in Greece. The order for this 119 MWe power plant was placed in December and the plant is scheduled to become fully operational during the second half of 2011.

The order has been placed by Terna S.A., who has been awarded the overall project contract by Public Power Corporation S.A., the national electricity utility of Greece. Terna S.A. is one of the three major Civil and Energy contractors in Greece.

Wärtsilä already enjoys a leading role in supplying electricity to the islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, and this latest order further strengthens that position. When installed, this power plant will bring the total output of electricity produced by Wärtsilä engines in the Greek islands to 690 MWe, which represents a majority share of the archipelago’s baseload supply.

The South Rhodes Power Station will generate electricity for the island’s grid from seven Wärtsilä 18V46 engines running on heavy fuel oil. The auxiliary equipment and emissions cleaning system will also be supplied by Wärtsilä. A 5+5 year’s maintenance contract for the power station unit is also under negotiation.