Wärtsilä marks technology leap with hydrogen-ready power plant

Wärtsilä has officially launched the world’s first large-scale hydrogen-ready engine power plant, which can be converted to run 100% on hydrogen

The new plant, developed in line with the emerging need for flexible power generation solutions that could be key in the journey to net-zero, represents a step beyond existing technology which can only currently run on natural gas and 25 vol% hydrogen blends.

“We will not meet global climate goals or fully decarbonise our power systems without flexible, zero-carbon power generation, which can quickly ramp up and down to support intermittent wind and solar,” commented Anders Lindberg, president at Wärtsilä Energy. “We must be realistic that natural gas will play a part in our power systems for years to come."

Building net-zero foundations

“Our fuel flexible engines can use natural gas today to provide flexibility and balancing, enabling renewable power to thrive," Lindberg continued. "They can then be converted to run on hydrogen when it becomes readily available: future-proofing the journey to net zero. This is a major milestone for us as a company, and the energy transition more generally, as our hydrogen-ready engines will enable the 100% renewable power systems of tomorrow.”

The Wärtsilä 31 engine platform, which the hydrogen-ready power plant is based on, is the most efficient in the world. It synchronises with the grid within 30 seconds from start command, ensures energy security through fuel flexibility and offers exceptional load following capabilities and high part load efficiency. It has completed more than 1 million running hours, with more than 1,000MW installed capacity globally.

The hydrogen-ready engine power plant concept gas been certified by TÜV SÜD. The H2-Readiness certification consists of three stages with three corresponding certificates. Wärtsilä has now achieved the first stage with a Concept Certificate for the conceptual design of its engine power plant. The 100% hydrogen-ready engine is expected to be available for orders in 2025, and available for delivery from 2026.