The technology group Wärtsilä will collaborate with the Portuguese energy solutions provider and independent power producer Capwatt in the testing of a green hydrogen and natural gas blend fuel for Capwatt power plant located in Maia. The project will start in Q1, 2023 and it aims at testing blends of up to 10 vol.% green hydrogen. The combined heat and power plant which provides energy for Sonae Campus and the national grid currently operates with a Wärtsilä 34SG engine running on natural gas. This will be one of the first cases where green hydrogen is used to lessen the carbon footprint of an existing gas fueled Wärtsilä power plant.
The Wärtsilä engine at the site is already capable of operating on gas with up to 3% hydrogen. In order to reach the targeted level of 10% blending to meet the specific needs for Capwatt, modifications will be made to the…