The company has agreed to supply 15 Wärtsilä 18V50SG engines, providing a combined power output of 282 MW. The newly built data centre, which will receive this energy, requires enormous power resources and, above all, a reliable, flexible power source that can withstand disturbances to traditional power grids.
The engines, which are the world’s largest four-stroke spark-ignition gas units, meet this need thanks to their design. They allow for quick adjustment to changing loads, which guarantees the stability of critical IT systems in practice.
The delivery process is divided into stages covering 2025–2027. This allows subsequent modules to be integrated with the power plant infrastructure and for the available power to be increased gradually in line with the pace of data centre expansion.
It is worth noting that, in addition to ensuring a highly reliable power supply, this technology also stands out for its exceptionally low water consumption, which is a particularly important feature for the data centre sector where reducing environmental impact and operating costs is of strategic importance.
Minimising demand for this resource reduces the risk associated with scarcity and increases the system’s resilience to external environmental factors.
Data center developers face increasing challenges related to energy delivery times due to grid connection delays.
Photo credit: Wärtsilä Energy
Wärtsilä’s short production and delivery times provide faster access to the required power than those of other manufacturers. In addition, our modular design allows for efficient construction and integration, enabling customers to access power quickly. The combination of almost instantaneous access to power and reliability, fuel efficiency and exceptional heat resistance, which allows the engine to operate optimally at high temperatures, makes Wärtsilä engines the ideal power source for modern data centres. – Risto Paldanius, Vice President, Wärtsilä Energy, North and South America
Upon completion of the project, Wärtsilä’s total installed capacity in the United States will exceed 6,000 MW, which underscores the company’s role as one of the most important partners in the American digital sector’s energy transition.
In the face of growing demand for data and the development of increasingly complex cloud technologies and cybersecurity challenges, such an energy base becomes not only the foundation for business development and innovation, but also for maintaining the continuity of the entire digital economy. Consequently, implementing flexible engines is not merely an investment in another data centre; it is part of a broader strategy to safeguard national infrastructure against the consequences of network overloads and energy shortages. This creates a robust foundation for future technologies that will shape global development in the decades to come.
Off-grid energy solutions such as Wärtsilä engines are not only attractive, but also an essential response to energy needs. Furthermore, the high efficiency of our engines ensures lower emission levels than competing technologies, and their flexibility allows for the future integration of decarbonised fuels and renewable energy sources. These advantages will support the next generation of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing data centres in a sustainable way – Anders Lindberg, President of Wärtsilä Energy and Executive Vice President of Wärtsilä, said.
