Wartsila Corporation has won a contract to supply two combined heat and power, or CHP, plants to Chelyabinsk oblast in the South Urals region, Russia. The power plants are a part of the local administration's programme to upgrade the district heating system by replacing outdated boiler plants with modern power generation technology. The two power plants are built for Perspektiva LLC, a private investment company, and will be located in the towns of Kasli and Karabash.

Both power plants will have an output of 20 MW and will be powered by Wartsila 34SG engines operating on natural gas. Along with emergency boilers, the power plants will be the sole suppliers of heat to the towns they serve, each comprising approximately 17,000 inhabitants. Electricity will be fed to the grid.

The deliveries are scheduled to be completed by June 2014, and the two plants are planned to be operational in the autumn of 2014 in time for the winter heating season. The local administration's programme to upgrade and renew the district heating system is high on its agenda due to the positive impact for the local communities. Replacement of the old boilers by cogeneration plants will significantly improve the fuel utilisation rate by producing extra power, and will thus improve both the economic and environmental performance of the combined system.