Wärtsilä and cement producer Lafarge Africa signed an extended five-year long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement in Nigeria. The agreement covers Lafarge’s Ewekoro power plant.

The Ewekoro power plant provides a dedicated supply of electricity to the company’s concrete and cement manufacturing processes and was supplied and commissioned by Wärtsilä in 2011.

The plant consists of six 50DF dual-fuel engines, operating primarily on gas, but with the flexibility to automatically switch to liquid fuel in case of a disruption to the gas supply. Similarly, should the quality of the gas supply be disrupted, the Wärtsilä engines will continue to operate efficiently.

The captive power plant provides the cement production facilities steady supply of electricity and efficient use of available natural gas as the primary fuel. By having Wärtsilä operate and maintain the power plant, Lafarge is able to focus on its core business to deliver construction materials to Nigeria.

Lanre Opakunle, strategic sourcing director, power and gas for the Middle East and Africa at Lafarge, said: “We have benefited significantly from the efficient way by which Wärtsilä has operated and maintained this plant for the past ten years, and we had no hesitation in extending the agreement for a further five years.

“An uninterrupted reliable supply of electricity is essential to our production, and having our own power plant gives us this assurance.”

The scope of the agreement includes the operating crew, performance guarantees, plant availability and spare parts.

Wärtsilä has also supplied Lafarge with another 100MW power plant located in Mfamosing, Nigeria.