Wärtsilä Unveils Next-Generation Engine to Enhance Power Plant Performance and Support Renewable Integration

Wärtsilä launched its next generation 46TS engine, which is designed to balance renewable energy, provide highly efficient baseload power, and can run on sustainable fuels in the future.

The Wärtsilä 46TS large-bore engine evolved from a long line of engines, including the Wärtsilä 50 engine platform, an engine that has more than delivered 55 million running hours worldwide since 2008.

Using balancing engines to support intermittent renewables is a more viable path towards a net zero power system than a renewables-only pathway. Balancing power can reduce costs, emissions, and land use, as revealed in Wärtsilä’s recent global power system modeling report, Crossroads to Net Zero, detailed the vital role of balancing power in delivering the energy transition.

Anders Lindberg, President of Wärtsilä Energy, says: “The energy transition cannot be achieved by renewable power alone – we need flexible, highly efficient engines to support wind and solar power during times of low generation. The flexible 46TS engine offers exactly that, expanding our existing technology offering to balance renewables and operate cost-effectively on baseload power. This engine is built on our 85 years of engine expertise, incorporating everything we have learned to develop our latest and greatest solution.”

The Wärtsilä 46TS is designed with sustainable fuels in mind to ensure that when they become readily available, these engines can play an essential role in delivering 100% renewable power systems.

The engine provides a myriad of benefits for power producers, including:

• Next level efficiency and performance: Significantly improved over 51% engine efficiency saves fuel and reduces emissions, with excellent performance in extreme ambient conditions and at high altitudes.
• Improved output: The 46TS generates 23.4 MW/unit, meaning fewer engines are needed to achieve large plant sizes.
• Greater flexibility: Rapid response to fluctuations with even faster ramp-up time (2 minutes) and no minimum up- or down-time requirements.
• Fast and cost-efficient installation: Fast and easy modular plant installation with high-quality, factory-tested modules bringing significant savings in total installed cost.

To support the W46TS, Wärtsilä provides tailored, high-quality services to maximize reliability and profitability. Wärtsilä Lifecycle services ensure the power plant's performance and competitiveness with optimized operations and guaranteed performance. A technical service network provides expertise and support near customers via remote monitoring.

The Wärtsilä 46TS engine will be available from 2025. Last month, Wärtsilä announced the first order for the 46TS engines placed by Kazakhstan Caspian Offshore Industries (KCOI). The engines will support KCOI's new 120 MW power plant and the first hybrid power project of its kind in Kazakhstan, which integrates the engine power plant with wind and solar power.