Wärtsilä, a supplier of power plant solutions and services, has signed a three-year service agreement with Newcrest Mining Limited for power plants at the Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea. The agreement is intended to ensure maximized life and performance along with reduced operational costs for Newcrest Mining’s three power plants there, according to Wärtsilä.
The agreement covers major engine services and spare parts for the three plants—a diesel-powered generating station, an interim power station and oil cubes—in service at Lihir. In total, the plants include 22 Wärtsilä engines with a combined output of 172 MW.
Wärtsilä provided the first diesel power station to Lihir in 1996 and gold production commenced in 1997.
“By working with the people in Newcrest Mining, we now have pre-negotiated rates for labor and parts for the major services on the engines. By drawing up the annual plans together and streamlining processes, we can ensure the timely completion of each major engine service, thereby increasing engine availability, improving operational efficiency and reducing costs,” said John Sydney, service unit director, Australasia, for Wärtsilä.
