Wärtsilä has entered into a contract to supply a 56-MW Smart Power Generation power plant,
including three of its 50SG natural gas engines, to the Stillwater Utilities Authority (SUA) in
Oklahoma.
The power station, which replaces a 26-MW gas turbine from the 1950s, will be used to balance
wind and solar generation in the state, and will be utilized for peaking power.
“When the wind stops blowing and the sun goes down, we need to keep up the load. Quick-
starting engines are perfect for this,” said SUA’s Director Dan Blankenship.
SUA said it chose Wärtsilä’s internal combustion engine (ICE) technology mainly for its
flexibility.
“It takes eight hours to start our current capacity. Smart Power Generation can go from start-up
to full load in just ten minutes,” Blankenship said.
Wärtsilä will deliver the equipment November 2015.
In 2013, wind farms accounted for 14.8 percent of Oklahoma’s electricity news, according to
AWEA.
