Wärtsilä has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French multinational energy company ENGIE, to develop solutions and services within the small scale LNG business sector.

The cooperation covers four work streams: LNG for ships, LNG distribution in islands and remote areas, LNG to Power solutions, and small scale LNG and bio liquefaction. Both Wärtsilä and ENGIE are committed to working for a low-carbon economy, and shifting the focus towards LNG-solutions is seen as being an important step in this direction.

Through this partnership, the two companies will share Wärtsilä’s technical expertise and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) capabilities, along with ENGIE’s technical expertise, and experience in natural gas distribution and commercialization. Operation and maintenance services will also be offered.

"ENGIE has taken key positions in the small scale LNG market. This agreement with Wärtsilä will help develop innovative small scale LNG solutions with quicker implementation time and enhanced competitiveness,” says Jean-Marc Leroy, ENGIE’s Managing Director Gas Chain.

“We are excited to be working with ENGIE and developing together more sustainable energy solutions for our customers and society as a whole. This cooperation is an important step towards Wärtsilä’s goal of growing our presence in the small to medium scale LNG terminal business,“ says Alexandre Eykerman, Vice President for LNG Solutions at Wärtsilä.

Wärtsilä is currently the EPC contractor for an onshore small scale LNG terminal in Finland, and has successfully delivered several small scale power barges and a biogas liquefaction plant. ENGIE is one of the pioneers in the development of small scale LNG markets and innovative solutions. This includes small liquefaction plants, LNG truck loading, LNG bunkering, LNG fuelling stations, LNG for power applications, and supplying LNG to remote customers.

This MoU is a strong incentive to co-develop technical solutions that would enable both Wärtsilä and ENGIE to expand their small scale LNG businesses.

About Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.
In 2015, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 5 billion with approximately 18,800 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

About ENGIE

As a global energy player, ENGIE is heavily involved in marine renewable energy, ranging from offshore wind (winning two 500 MW projects, Dieppe-Le Tréport and Yeu-Noirmoutier, in France and the 450 MW Mermaid project in Belgium) to tidal power (with the Raz Blanchard pilot farm project in Normandy) and marine geothermal (such as the Thassalia plant in Marseille). It is also an offshore natural gas producer, with expertise in building and operating offshore installations.

ENGIE develops its businesses (power, natural gas, energy services) around a model based on responsible growth to take on the major challenges of energy’s transition to a low-carbon economy: access to sustainable energy, climate-change mitigation and adaptation and the rational use of resources. The Group provides individuals, cities and businesses with highly efficient and innovative solutions largely based on its expertise in four key sectors: renewable energy, energy efficiency, liquefied natural gas and digital technology. ENGIE employs 154,950 people worldwide and achieved revenues of €69.9 billion in 2015. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main international indices: CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe, DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo (World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120 and France 20). ).