Latest news with #Wärtsilä
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
On marine engine production, India must set sail on its own
India is making bold moves in shipbuilding. The 2025 Union budget laid the foundation for a maritime resurgence, with mega clusters, a Rs 25,000-crore Maritime Development Fund, customs duty exemptions, and infrastructure status for large vessels. Strategic tie-ups with global shipbuilding giants and major private investments signal serious intent to make India a top five shipbuilding nation by 2047. To truly lead, India must build what powers the ship. A hull without an engine is just a shell, strategically dependent on foreign suppliers. Marine engines typically account for 15–20 per cent of a ship's cost and are central to its performance, emissions, and life cycle. Presently, over 90 per cent of engines rated above 6 MW installed on Indian commercial and naval vessels are sourced from a concentrated group of five global manufacturers — MAN Energy Solutions (Germany), Wärtsilä (Finland), Rolls-Royce (UK), Caterpillar-MaK (US/Germany), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan). This oligopolistic concentration creates a technological chokepoint. Any disruption in diplomatic or trade relations, export control regime, or intellectual property licensing can effectively immobilise India's shipbuilding programme. These engines are embedded with proprietary ECUs, closed-source control software, and IP-restricted components, making India dependent on foreign firms not just for procurement, but for diagnostics, updates, and even spares. This exposes India to rising export control risks. Key supplier countries have tightened regulations under frameworks like the EU Dual-Use Regulation, US EAR, and Japan's METI controls. These can be denied on national security grounds at any time. India has already begun taking steps in this direction. In April, the Indian Navy signed a Rs 270-crore sanction order with Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited to design and develop a 6 MW medium-speed marine diesel engine. However, the real game is for 30MW. There are several challenges. First, we lack access to modern marine engine designs. Marine engine design is a critical determinant of propulsion efficiency, thermal performance, emissions compliance, structural durability, and system integration in large vessels. These designs must optimise key parameters to meet International Maritime Organization Tier III emission standards and enable integration with hybrid propulsion, waste heat recovery. India currently lacks indigenous design capabilities. This leads to dependence on foreign OEMs. This dependency restricts the ability to modify engines for military profiles, optimise for local climatic and operational conditions, or transition to fuel-flexible, autonomous maritime systems. Second, India's most significant hurdle in building large marine engines is metallurgical, a foundational challenge that cuts across materials science, manufacturing precision, and component durability. Marine engines operate under extreme thermal and mechanical conditions. Components must be engineered from alloys that can withstand high thermal gradients, resist corrosion in saline environments, and perform reliably over long duty cycles. Materials like high-chromium steels, nickel-based superalloys, and thermally stable composites are essential, but India's capacity to produce such materials in large quantities remains underdeveloped. This is where we are struggling in our jet engines programme, too. Third, 'tribology', the science of wear, lubrication, and friction, is another critical bottleneck. High-efficiency marine engines demand components with tailored surface properties to reduce wear and frictional losses over thousands of operating hours. This necessitates advanced coatings like thermal barrier ceramics, diamond-like carbon and plasma-sprayed composites, which require both sophisticated application techniques and precision control. Additionally, machining these heavy components requires large-format CNC equipment, micrometre-scale metrology systems, and ultra-tight tolerances, particularly for parts like crankshafts and cylinder blocks. India's ecosystem lacks scalable industrial integration. Fourth, it's impossible to build next-gen marine engines when our top institutes still train students on outdated models. These belong in museums, not classrooms. With India hosting the world's largest ship-breaking yard at Alang, institutes should at least source decommissioned modern engines from there to upgrade training. To address these gaps, India must shift its strategy from relying solely on large public- and private-sector firms, which have struggled to deliver full-stack indigenous marine engines, and instead invest in a new generation of tech start-ups. Startups can bring agility, risk-taking and cross-disciplinary innovation. The government should facilitate this through targeted innovation missions, design-linked incentives, and dedicated funding for marine propulsion R&D, backed by defence and shipping sector demand. Institutions like IIT Madras can serve as anchor nodes, supporting venture creation with lab-to-market pipelines. Start-ups must be supported not only with capital, but also through access to testbeds, IP support, and public procurement guarantees. To develop large marine engines, India must build a dedicated propulsion design ecosystem. Equally critical is access to domain-specific software for 3D modelling and mechanical design; combustion and thermodynamic simulation; structural and thermal stress analysis; and embedded control system development. India has made visible strides in other areas of shipbuilding. New yards are coming up, older ones are being modernised, and maritime ambitions are growing. But without the ability to build our own marine engines, we are laying the keel for dependency. Just as the Tejas fighter still flies on imported engines, our ships risk sailing under the shadow of foreign dependency. A vessel may be built in India, flagged in India, and crewed by Indians, but unless we build the engine, we will never truly steer our own course. Sanyal is member, EAC-PM and Sinha is a writer on state capacity, economic policy, and institutional reform. Views are personal
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Wärtsilä's 4-stroke ammonia engine tests reduce GHG emissions by up to 90%
Wärtsilä has announced the results of extensive testing of its 4-stroke ammonia engine, which demonstrated a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional diesel engines. After its debut in the commercial marine sector in November 2023, the 4-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel has been rigorously tested by the company to optimise its performance parameters. The latest results were evaluated against the FuelEU Maritime reference and measured on both Well-to-Wake and Tank-to-Wake calculations. Wärtsilä said the engines can achieve up to a 90% reduction in GHG emissions compared to an equivalent diesel engine when run on a 95% ammonia fuel mix. The Wärtsilä 25 ammonia engine was developed with the company's safety and operational expertise acquired from its experience with low-pressure dual-fuel (DF) engines that operate on LNG. Wärtsilä explained that recent tests have demonstrated ammonia to be an effective fuel for the low-pressure Otto cycle concept, also used for its ammonia engine solution. Wärtsilä's decision to use a low-pressure Otto cycle was influenced by various factors, such as safety, efficiency, and the potential for reducing GHG emissions, among other considerations, it explained. Extensive testing on various engine sizes has revealed that the efficiency of the low-pressure Otto cycle is comparable to that of dual-fuel LNG engines, it added. Ammonia has high knock resistance and maintains 'robust' combustion performance across a diverse range of engine settings. Wärtsilä Marine vice president of power supply Stefan Nysjö said: 'With decarbonisation front and centre of our company strategy, we have continued to enhance the capabilities of our ammonia engine solution - adding even more safety features and further improving its performance. 'This is in line with our commitment to 'continuous improvement', whereby we continue to develop, test and enhance new and current technologies and solutions which will support the industry in making meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. For our ammonia engine we opted for the low-pressure Otto cycle concept as we are confident this will deliver the best levels of safety, efficiency and reliability for our customers.' The improvements to the performance of Wärtsilä 25 ammonia engine are claimed to benefit the entire ammonia solution, which includes the AmmoniaPac fuel gas supply system, the Wärtsilä Ammonia Release Mitigation System (WARMS), and the Wärtsilä NOx Reducer (NOR) for optimal exhaust after-treatment. The improved engine performance will be incorporated into future orders and engines already contracted, with first deliveries expected from 2026. According to a report released by Wärtsilä in March last year, the current decarbonisation strategies, such as improving fuel efficiency measures, have the potential to reduce shipping emissions by up to 27%. However, to address the remaining 73%, the adoption of sustainable fuels, such as ammonia, will be essential. This month, Wartsila Gas Solutions, a business unit of Wartsila, secured a contract to supply cargo handling systems for two very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) being built at the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in South Korea for a Japanese shipping company. "Wärtsilä's 4-stroke ammonia engine tests reduce GHG emissions by up to 90%" was originally created and published by Ship Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wärtsilä to supply power generation equipment to 30MW power plant in Nigeria
Technology company Wärtsilä has been selected to supply and maintain a new 30MW power plant on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria, for a local independent power producer (IPP). The project, which is a first-of-its-kind in Nigeria, is expected to serve as a model for future power projects in the country. It is being developed through a collaboration between Lagos-based Elektron Energy and its local partners. Victoria Island Power (VIPL), a special-purpose company incorporated by Elektron Energy, has entrusted Wärtsilä with the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the project. Wärtsilä will also manage and maintain the power plant for a duration of five years on behalf of the client. Elektron Energy co-CEO and CFO Deen Solebo said: 'Elektron has conceptualised, developed, and funded the IPP and has secured the implementation by engaging Wärtsilä to assume single point responsibility for the major construction and operational aspects related to the eventual power generation facility. 'This pioneering project relies on reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) technology that has the efficiency and flexibility to deliver clean and reliable electricity to our customers.' The new power plant will run on natural gas and will be integrated with the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) at their NEPA Close Site. It is expected to improve the availability and reliability of the power supply to consumers served by EKEDC. The power plant will comprise three Wärtsilä 34SG gas engine-generator sets with related auxiliaries. It is designed to be scalable, allowing for the addition of one more engine-generator set in the future. This modular design concept by Wärtsilä enables cost-effective expansion with minimal disruption to ongoing operations. Solebo added: 'Clearing and preparation activities at the NEPA Close Site are progressing well and are due for completion within Q2 2025, after which construction can start. 'Commissioning is expected 15 months thereafter and the operations and maintenance agreement is timed to commence before the new build project reaching commercial operations date (COD).' VIPL has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) with individual customers, adopting a service-based tariff philosophy. The project is backed by institutional investors and funding partners, including ARM Harith Infrastructure Fund, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, InfraCredit, Bank of Industry, FBN Quest, and Stanbic Infrastructure Partners. In April 2025, Wärtsilä announced that it will supply a 64MW/128 megawatt hour (MWh) energy storage system for Octopus Australia's Fulham solar battery hybrid project. "Wärtsilä to supply power generation equipment to 30MW power plant in Nigeria" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Not planning to enter energy storage business in India: Göran Richardsson, Energy Business Director - South Asia, Wärtsilä
Mumbai: Finland-based marine power and energy giant, Wärtsilä, is betting on flexible balancing power plants to support India 's renewable integration, as battery storage remains commercially unviable amid an underdeveloped market. In an exclusive interview with ETEnergyWorld , Göran Richardsson, Energy Business Director – South Asia , talks about the company's India strategy, ongoing partner discussions, and plans to scale sales of smaller plants to meet rising grid stability demands. He also highlights why the company is still holding back its entry in the battery storage market in India. Edited excerpts: Could you quickly take us through the key areas of operations for Wärtsilä globally and specifically in India? Wärtsilä offers balancing power plants, utilising natural gas as a transition fuel, to help integrate renewable energy sources into the grid more effectively. These power plants are designed to be flexible, providing quick response to grid fluctuations, and balancing renewable energy generation. They are future-proof and can run on sustainable fuels, once they become available – enabling 100 per cent renewable energy systems. We also have another important area, which is battery energy storage system solutions. These are not the small units you might find in houses or cars, but large, utility-scale battery plants. Additionally, we are very active in the marine business, providing engines and propulsion systems for large shipping industries and companies. We've been active in the marine business since the 1940s or 1950s. Our company, Wärtsilä, is about 190 years old. We originally began as a sawmill company in the wood industry in 1834. Over time, we grew through shipyards and other businesses. Today, our core business is energy and marine and the lifecycle solutions that we provide for both these businesses. Looking at India specifically, we focus on most of these businesses here as well. We've been active in the energy sector since the early 1980s. Over the years, we've delivered about 4 GW of power plants in India. In the beginning, most of these plants were for industries because, in the 80s and 90s, the power grid in India was not well developed, so industries had their own captive power plants. We have a large services organisation catering to both the energy and marine sectors. Additionally, India has a large IT organization, providing global support for Wärtsilä. We also have a manufacturing facility in Khopoli, near Mumbai. This facility produces auxiliary units for power generation, restores propulsion systems, repairs propellers for the marine side, handles water jet equipment, and provides electrical panels for power plant projects. You have mentioned that Wärtsilä is focusing on the marine and energy sectors. Are you planning to diversify into any new areas in India in the coming years? If we look at the power generation side, in India, Wärtsilä has traditionally focused on land-based power generation for utilities and industries. However, our Marine business has grown quite a lot in India recently. Looking ahead at the energy sector in India, the power grids and transmission lines today are much more developed. Many industries are now connected to the grid and no longer require their own captive plants. So, our focus in India is more towards working with utilities, which operate across India. We are particularly focusing on balancing plants, which help integrate renewables into the grid. These balancing plants are designed to quickly start up and stabilize the grid when there are fluctuations in renewable power generation - when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow. In the coming years, this is where we are focusing our efforts in India, helping utilities integrate and balance renewables to ensure grid stability. What will be your focus area in India in the coming years? India is planning to integrate a significant amount of renewables, and this means there will be a need for flexible solutions that can balance the intermittency of wind and solar power. These balancing plants, which have fast start-up times, can cater to the temporary drops in renewable energy generation. We provide solutions to help stabilize the grid and integrate renewables efficiently. What is your outlook on the overall business perspective in India? We see a huge market potential in India, as the country will need gigawatts of fast- response balancing plants. We are not talking about 10 megawatts or 100 megawatts but gigawatts of capacity. We're working with state utilities and other stakeholders to advocate for this solution. We are also doing power system modeling in India to demonstrate how fast-response units can help build optimized power systems and respond to the needs of different states. Some states are already facing challenges due to high renewable penetration, while others are yet to experience such issues. Eventually, all states in India will feel the impact of renewable fluctuations, and this is where our solutions will play a significant role. We're actively working with stakeholders, conducting seminars, and running modeling exercises to support the integration of these solutions. Why hasn't Wärtsilä entered the battery segment in India yet? Is it due to cost or supply chain issues? The main issue isn't cost or supply chain. It's more about the lack of a liberalized energy market in India, where investors can make money from such investments. This market mechanism isn't really available in India right now. In places like Australia, where we are very active in the battery energy storage segment, a private investor can invest in battery storage projects because the market is deregulated. Investors can make a profit from these assets by providing grid services, such as storing energy during low-cost periods and selling it during high-cost periods. In India, we don't have that kind of revenue model at the moment. Without a revenue model, it's hard to make battery assets commercially viable in India. You don't get paid for capacity, and there are no high rates for supplying power from batteries to the grid. That's the biggest obstacle today. We are focused on markets that have a proper market mechanism that allows for private investment. Eventually, I hope India will develop such mechanisms, and if they do, we will consider entering the battery energy storage market. Can you clarify whether Wärtsilä plans to enter the battery business in India? We are actively monitoring the situation in India regarding battery energy storage. While we are not currently focused on entering the market, we are having ongoing discussions with potential partners. We need to see changes in the market mechanisms that would make investments in batteries commercially viable. India is on our radar, and we are revising our list of focus countries regularly. For now, we are actively monitoring opportunities, but we are not planning to enter the energy storage business in India yet. What is your investment outlook for India in the coming years? Are there any upcoming projects or new market opportunities? We are working with state utilities, especially in renewable-rich states, to advocate for flexible balancing power plants. However, I can't go into deeper details about specific projects at this time as they are confidential. Our work is focused on advocacy and groundwork with stakeholders, as these projects take time to develop. These projects may eventually go to tender, but before that happens, we need years of groundwork and discussions. Building relationships and collaborating with stakeholders can take five to ten years before we start seeing tenders. On a more traditional power generation front, we are still working on smaller plants and continue to see business in India. We recently completed a project with Oil India , and we expect to sell more of these smaller plants in the near future. What are the key challenges you face while setting up projects in India or in forming partnerships and collaborations? One of the key obstacles we encounter is the focus on unit prices when discussing power solutions. As soon as we mention balancing plants or reciprocating engines, the first question we usually get is about the unit price of electricity generated. However, this is not the right question to ask, especially for balancing plants that may only operate for 1,000 or 2,000 hours a year. When plants are only running for a limited number of hours, the cost of producing electricity will naturally be higher, but that doesn't reflect the full value of the solution. We need to approach this from a portfolio perspective. For example, in a state with a mix of coal, hydro, and renewables, the integration of renewable energy can become more efficient with balancing plants. The cheapest way to produce electricity today is with renewables, and balancing plants help in integrating an increasing amount of renewables and providing the support needed to keep the grid stable and reliable. However, many in India are still focused on the unit cost of individual technologies, which makes it difficult to advocate for solutions that are high cost per unit but help integrate renewables in a more affordable and efficient way. Another issue is the slow pace of change. The market mechanism needs to evolve to encourage private investment in power generation. Without this, we may continue relying on state utilities, which limits investment opportunities. Why isn't the industry talking about integrating renewable energy to reduce costs, even though it's a major issue? Traditionally, India has had a regulated market where tariffs are fixed. The entire model is built around that structure. Historically, the focus has always been on the unit cost of production. That way of thinking takes years to break. Many people who don't believe in the renewable solution often use the argument that the unit cost is too high, which serves as an easy justification to dismiss the idea. It's a kind of defense mechanism — a way to avoid opening up the possibility of what renewables could actually bring to a state. When you're fixed into this traditional tariff system set by state utilities, your mindset is locked into it. But as soon as you allow a private market to enter — if a mechanism exists for that — then the competition becomes broader and tougher. That would also require those in the system to change themselves. As long as the system remains rigid, there's no push to rethink things — except in some states where renewable integration is already so high that it causes grid problems: Issues with stability, curtailment, blackouts, etc. When those pains are felt, then you start thinking about what can be done. Could there be deeper reasons why neither government nor private sector are addressing this issue? It would lead to a series of other issues and, eventually, the need to redo everything — all the existing plans and structures. That could be one reason no one is touching this, not even the government or the private sector. It's not only a commercial issue. For example, in India, if someone were to propose shutting down all coal plants in favor of renewables and balancing plants, that would be a huge political decision. It would impact millions of workers - those in mining, in coal supply chains, and in power generation units. So, is it partly a lack of political will? These are tough decisions. But what I think is often missed in the political conversation is the job creation potential that renewables bring — from installation to maintenance and other services. In my personal view, it's not that we're losing jobs; we're creating new types of jobs. There's also a global push to transition to renewables without any fossil fuels. I see that trend globally — not just in India — where people advocate for a complete shift to renewables, which I personally support. But it's unrealistic to think it can happen overnight. You need a transition period. For example, in our case, we advocate for balancing solutions that currently use natural gas but will be able to run on sustainable fuels when they become available. So for the transition, you still need natural gas. However, in India, there's resistance to increasing LNG imports, which creates another layer of challenge. How do you address the concern around using fossil fuels like LNG during the transition period? Our current technology is future-proof. It's designed to run not only on LNG now but also on future fuels that are carbon-neutral or carbon-free — like hydrogen , ammonia, ethanol, and methanol. So, while we may need to use LNG for a few more years, when hydrogen production increases in India, we can easily switch to it. Hydrogen has no carbon component — it's a totally clean, green fuel. It can be produced using renewable sources like solar or wind. This is something we are constantly advocating. We keep emphasizing that a transition period is necessary. During that time, burning LNG may be unavoidable — but once hydrogen becomes available at scale, we can switch, enabling a fully decarbonised energy system.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wartsila to supply cargo handling systems for ammonia carriers
Wartsila Gas Solutions, a business unit of Wartsila, has secured a contract to provide cargo handling systems for two very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) currently under construction at the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in South Korea. These vessels, each with a capacity of 88,000m³, have been ordered by a Japanese shipping company. The delivery of Wartsila's equipment is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. Hanwha Ocean basic design team leader Lee said: 'We have good experience with Wärtsilä's cargo handling systems. 'Their support and quick reaction to our needs have always been much appreciated, and their systems are perfectly designed for these two VLACs.' VLACs are specifically designed to transport ammonia, which requires modifications to the cargo tanks and hulls due to the substance's high specific gravity. The vessels will feature reinforced structures and a deeper draught when fully loaded, according to the company. Wartsila Gas Solutions sales manager Patrick Ha said: 'Enabling decarbonised shipping operations is at the core of our strategy. 'This contract is an additional proof point for continuous successful strategy implementation, while reinforcing our strong partnership with Hanwha.' Recently Wartsila Underwater Services formed a strategic alliance with Greece's Megatugs to enhance underwater support solutions for the global shipping industry. This partnership aims to boost operational efficiency and sustainability for vessel operators by minimising downtime, reducing costs, and setting new standards in underwater service quality. Last month Wartsila unveiled plans to upgrade the RT-flex main engines on two bulk carriers owned by Turkish shipping company Ulusoy Sealines. This retrofitting initiative aims to improve the vessels' operational lifespan, performance, and fuel efficiency, ultimately reducing emissions. "Wartsila to supply cargo handling systems for ammonia carriers" was originally created and published by Ship Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
