Wärtsilä signs maintenance agreement for Hawaiian bioenergy plant

On Aug 20, Wärtsilä announced it has signed a 10-year maintenance and operational advisory agreement for Hawaiian Electric’s Schofield Generating Station, a 50 MW facility located on the island of Oahu that is fueled by biodiesel.

According to Wärtsilä, the agreement will help the utility maximize the availability and efficiency of the power plant. For the duration of the 10-year agreement, Wärtsilä will provide advisory and maintenance services that help ensure reliable power generation for the plant, which is primarily used to meet peak loads. The agreement covers operational support, maintenance planning, major maintenance, quality site audits, industrial control systems (ICS) cyber security patching services, and scheduled OEM spare parts.

“Ensuring reliable and efficient operations of the plant is important for the island’s energy resilience and achievement of renewable energy goals. Our partnership with Wärtsilä will help the power plant meet its goals in a cost-effective manner,” said Michael DeCaprio, power generation manager at Hawaiian Electric.

“We are thrilled to work with Hawaiian Electric Company to maximize their revenue retention through smart technologies and digital services. At the same time, we want to help them to comply with cyber legislation and to ensure power generation, even under exceptional natural conditions,” says Walter Reggente, vice president, Americas, Wärtsilä Services.

The U.S. Army and Hawaiian Electric broke ground on the Schofield facility in August 2016. Wärtsilä supplied a 50 MW Smart Power Generation power plant to the project consisting of 50 Wärtsilä 34DF engines. The facility current runs on biodiesel with ultra-low sulfur diesel as a secondary fuel, but has the ability to use biogas or natural gas in the future. Data recently released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission indicates the facility can online in May.