Wärtsilä powers Australian FPSO

Wärtsilä Corporation has been awarded a contract to supply a 31.5 MW diesel power plant for a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for the Mutineer-Exeter field of Santos Ltd off the north west coast of Australia.

The plant has been ordered by MODEC of Tokyo, Japan, a leading designer and supplier of FPSO vessels, floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessels and tension-leg platforms for the world oil and gas industry. MODEC is converting an existing Suezmax tanker, of about 150,000DWT, into a turret-moored FPSO vessel for Santos Ltd of Australia. It will be operated by MODEC on the Mutineer-Exeter field (WA-191-P) which is located approximately 150 km due north of Dampier on the north west coast of Australia.

The Wärtsilä power plant comprises five diesel generating sets, each powered by a Wärtsilä 16V32LNE engine. Diesel engines were selected because the Mutineer-Exeter oil field has no gas which could be used as fuel. The power plant will supply electrical power for subsurface electric submersible pumps, subsea multiphase pumps, seawater injection pumps, process plant and general electrical services on board the FPSO vessel.