Wärtsilä Plays the Trump Card of the Gas Technology: for Data Centres and for Vessels

Wärtsilä will supply an off-grid energy power solution for a new data center facility under construction in Texas, USA. The 790 MW power plant will operate with 42 Wärtsilä 50SG engines running on natural gas. By opting for a primary power source using Wärtsilä engines, the facility can ensure fast access to reliable power. The order was booked as intake by Wärtsilä in Q2 2026.

The Importance of Being in Texas

Wärtsilä’s engines were chosen ahead of other competing technologies for a variety of reasons including their ability to operate at full capacity, even in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 38 degrees Celsius), a critical feature for optimized performance in Texas. Furthermore, with a heat rate of approximately 6,800 Btu/kWh (approx. 50% efficiency), Wärtsilä’s high-efficiency engines dramatically lower fuel costs and guarantee low plant emissions, which helps data center developers meet emissions requirements. This in turn allows for faster permitting within environmental and regulatory approvals.

“Wärtsilä’s primary power solutions offer significant benefits to data center developers by providing continuous, reliable primary power while using significantly less water and fuel than traditional alternatives. Also, our power solutions ramp up quickly and offer a dependable and sustainable foundation for delivering power availability, which is vital for AI and cloud operators. Our modular engine power plants allow easy capacity scale-ups, making them an ideal choice for the fast-growing data center market,” says Anders Lindberg, President of Wärtsilä Energy and Executive Vice President of Wärtsilä.

Texas offers a rare combination of deep natural gas supply, extensive energy infrastructure, and rapidly expanding renewable capacity – an ideal foundation for large-scale data center development. Wärtsilä’s engine technology is ideally suited to this landscape, delivering reliable, dispatchable power while integrating seamlessly with renewable energy power sources. Together, Texas’ energy advantages and Wärtsilä’s proven engine platform enable data center developers to scale with confidence. And once a data center gets connected to the grid, it can be used to balance the renewables in the grid.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in 2028, and the plant is expected to become fully operational in late 2029. This is Wärtsilä’s fifth data center related order in the USA and its first in Texas. Altogether, Wärtsilä has thus far sold over 2,4 GW of power capacity for US data centers.

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions for Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, has been contracted by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard to supply the Cargo Handling and Fuel Gas Supply systems for two new Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) vessels being built for a Malaysian Shipowner. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in Q4 2025. 

The scope of supply includes the engineering for the cargo handling and fuel gas supply system process plant as well as for the various sub-systems. It also includes all the required equipment, instrumentation, with integrated cargo control system. 

The selection of the Wärtsilä Gas Solutions systems follows similar orders from HHI for new VLECs for different customers in the recent years.  

“This contract once again highlights our market‑leading position in this vessel segment,” says Harald Øverland, Sales Manager, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions. “We understand that gas carrier operators rely on safe and efficient cargo handling. To ensure safety and efficiency, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions draws on its extensive experience and deep in‑house expertise.”  

The Wärtsilä Gas Solutions equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard in March 2027.