Wärtsila renews power plant services agreement at Kinross’ Tasiast mine
Technology group Wärtsilä has renewed its operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement with Tasiast Mauritanie, a subsidiary of Canada’s Kinross Gold for a further three years.
The agreement will ensure the continued reliable and safe operation of the gold mine’s 60 MW power plant, supporting the facility’s production schedules.
The order was booked in Wärtsilä’s second quarter 2025.
Wärtsilä has been operating and maintaining the power plant since it was built in 2013. Following extension of the power plant in 2022, an outcome-based element was introduced into the agreement, focusing on delivering measurable results aligned with the mine’s commercial and operational targets in a sustainable way.
The O&M agreement, together with the outcome-based component, promotes a shared responsibility between Wärtsilä and the customer in achieving these performance targets.
The mine, located about 300 km north of Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, is supplied by an isolated hybrid grid comprising of solar power and battery storage. Wärtsilä’s power plant provides both baseload power and spinning reserve, ensuring consistent energy for the hybrid grid.
“Our O&M agreements cover every aspect of the power plant’s day-to-day operation and all related maintenance and administration tasks. By tailoring the agreement to the customer’s specific requirements, we can deliver performance and lifecycle cost guarantees to add considerable value to the business,” says Wärtsilä Energy Africa operation director Patrick Borstner.
A new project to install two additional Wärtsilä engines is currently in progress.
