The Wärtsilä 46TS engine delivers increased power and efficiency with future-proof technology that can run on both gas and green fuels.

Technology group Wärtsilä today launches its next-generation 46TS engine, designed to balance renewables, provide highly efficient baseload power and operate on sustainable fuels in the future.

The large-capacity Wärtsilä 46TS engine comes from a long line of proven and reliable power plant engines, including the Wärtsilä 50 engine platform. The W50 engine is one of the most successful power generation engines of all time, with 55 million operating hours worldwide since 2008.

Using balancing power to support intermittent renewables is a more viable path to a net-zero electricity system than one based solely on renewables. Balancing power can reduce costs, emissions and land use, as revealed in Wärtsilä’s recent Global Power System Modelling Report, “ Crossroads to Net Zero », which details the vital role of balancing power in achieving the energy transition.

Anders Lindberg, President of Wärtsilä Energy, said: “ The energy transition cannot be achieved by renewables alone – we need flexible, highly efficient engines to support wind and solar during periods of low production. The flexible 46TS engine delivers exactly that, expanding our existing technology offering to balance renewables and operate cost-effectively for baseload power.”

« This engine builds on our 85 years of engine expertise and incorporates everything we've learned to develop our latest and greatest solution. ».

The Wärtsilä 46TS has been designed with sustainable fuels in mind, to ensure that when they become readily available, these engines can play a vital role in delivering 100% renewable energy systems.

The engine offers many advantages to electricity producers, including:

• Next-level efficiency and performance : Significant improvement in engine efficiency (over 51%) saves fuel and reduces emissions, with excellent performance in extreme ambient conditions and at high altitudes.
• Improved performance : The 46TS produces 23,4 MW/unit, which means fewer motors are needed to design large plants.
• Greater flexibility : Fast response to fluctuations thanks to an even shorter ramp-up time (2 minutes) and no minimum operating or shutdown time requirements.
• Quick and cost-effective installation : Quick and easy installation of the modular plant thanks to high-quality, factory-tested modules, which allows significant savings on the total installation cost.

Wärtsilä also provides high-quality, customized services to maximize the reliability and profitability of its plants. Wärtsilä Lifecycle Services, with optimized operations and guaranteed performance, ensure plant performance and competitiveness. A technical service network provides expertise and support close to the customer and through remote monitoring.

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