Wärtsilä unveils next-generation 46TS engine to support South Africa’s renewable energy transition

Wärtsilä 46TS engine provides improved output and efficiency to save fuel and costs, with future proof technology that can run on sustainable fuels

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

The Wärtsilä 46TS large-bore engine has evolved from a long line of proven and reliable power plant engines, including the Wärtsilä 50 engine platform. The W50 engine is one of the world’s most successful power generating engines of all time, having delivered 55 million running hours around the world 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 modelling report, Crossroads to Net Zero, which 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 that 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.

In South Africa, where energy security remains a critical challenge, the Wärtsilä 46TS engine presents an opportunity to provide baseload when needed, enhance grid stability and support the country’s transition to a renewable energy future.

With the nation’s power sector increasingly incorporating solar and wind energy through initiatives like the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), flexible balancing solutions like the 46TS engine are essential to ensuring reliable supply during periods of low generation. Wärtsilä’s proven expertise, including its work with independent power producers and industrial energy users, makes the 46TS a game-changing solution for the local energy landscape.

To support the W46TS, Wärtsilä provides tailored high-quality services to maximise reliability and profitability. Wärtsilä Lifecycle services, with optimised operations and guaranteed performance, ensure the power plant’s performance and competitiveness. A technical service network provides expertise and support near customer and 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 additionally, the first hybrid power project of its kind in Kazakhstan, which integrates the engine power plant with wind and solar power.