Finland-based technology group Wärtsilä is to supply power generation equipment for an extension to Cherat Cement Ltd.

The Pakistani cement producer has contracted Wärtsilä to supply three Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engines capable of operating on both natural gas and heavy fuel oil (HFO). The total electrical output will be approximately 29MW. Wärtsilä will also provide advisors to oversee the installation and commissioning of the engines.

Cherat Cement, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in the northwest of Pakistan, is a leading cement producer with a manufacturing capacity of some 2.45Mta. To meet the growing demand for cement in Pakistan, the company is further expanding its production facilities, with a new line of 2.11Mta, which requires an additional power supply. The existing plant is also powered by Wärtsilä equipment, consisting of four Wärtsilä 32 engines.

"We need to enlarge our facilities and this we must to do quickly on a tight schedule. Wärtsilä has supported this timetable by agreeing to deliver their generating sets on a very short timetable and this, together with the positive experience we have had with the Wärtsilä engines already installed, is why we had no hesitation in choosing Wärtsilä," says Mr Azam Faruque, CEO of Cherat Cement.

The engines are scheduled for delivery in March 2018 and the plant is expected to be fully operational by June 2018.