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Africa is ready to provide enough energy to achieve the most ambitious of goals, and it can do it while maintaining all environmental targets.
We believe careful planning of power systems towards more sustainable and diversified energy supply portfolios can save billions and rapidly reduce CO2 emissions. We create value through our extensive power system knowledge and experience from integrating different generating assets.
On this page, you may find our best materials and proceedings in energising and decarbonising the continent of Africa.
of engine power plant capacity installed
African countries with active customers
Wärtsilä engines installed across the continent
customers across the continent
With more than 650 employees and service hubs located in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal, Wärtsilä is proud to have contributed to many industry firsts. These include Africa’s largest gas engine power plant on the Kribi coast of Cameroon with 216MW capacity, as well as Africa’s highest installation, the 175 MW power plant in Sasolburg, South Africa, sitting at 1,700 meters above sea level.
Another first, the KivuWatt power plant in Rwanda, is the first ever power plant to use the naturally occurring methane from lake Kivu to generate electricity and reduce the environmental risks associated with such high concentrations of gas. Today’s power output is 25 MW but future planned expansions to this project will increase capacity by an additional 75 MW.
Technology group Wärtsilä and energy solutions business AVK-SEG have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at meeting data centres’ unique power requirements. The agreement was signed in May 2024.
Data centres are essential in ensuring businesses and organisations can store, process, and manage their data and operations securely and efficiently. To be efficient, data centres require a reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply. In many cases, grid connections are unable to provide the necessary level of reliability, meaning that on-site power generation becomes essential.
"Combining AVK’s 30-year track record in power system design for data centres and Wärtsilä’s leading expertise in designing and manufacturing high-efficiency medium-speed engines, we can ensure a reliable power supply for these critical operations," says Kenneth Engblom, Vice President, Africa & Europe at Wärtsilä Energy.
Under the terms of the agreement, AVK will carry out the design and installation of on-site power generation, which is used as the primary power source for data centres. Wärtsilä will provide the engineered equipment and maintenance support. The main focus of the combined approach will be the growing European data centre market. Power requirements are driven largely by generative AI, which can require a lot more power per query than traditional search.
"The partnership is very exciting not only for AVK and Wärtsilä but for the market as well. We are seeing increasing demand for alternative power solutions for grid-constrained data centres. Wärtsilä’s track record in deploying technology for various applications and AVK's position in the data centre market make a really exciting prospect moving forward. AVK is the largest and fastest-growing supplier of power solutions for data centres in the UK and Europe," comments Ben Pritchard, CEO, AVK.
Wärtsilä and AVK are currently executing two energy centre projects in Ireland. Both companies are committed to solutions which enhance decarbonisation, and Wärtsilä’s engines are developed to be ready for sustainable fuels as they become available.
Media contact for more information on this release:
Anne Alarotu
Head of External Communications
Wärtsilä
Mob: +358 50 487 1308
anne.alarotu@wartsila.com
Image caption: Technology group Wärtsilä and energy solutions business AVK-SEG have signed a cooperation agreement to deliver on-site power generation for data centres.
© AVK-SEG
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Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy is at the forefront of the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers and the power sector to accelerate their decarbonisation journeys through our market-leading technologies and power system expertise. Our solutions include flexible engine power plants, energy storage and optimisation technology, and services for the whole lifecycle of our installations. Our engines are future-proof and can run on sustainable fuels. Our track record comprises 79 GW of power plant capacity, of which 18 GW are under service agreements, and over 125 energy storage systems, in 180 countries around the world.
www.wartsila.com/energy
Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasise innovation in sustainable technology and services to help our customers continuously improve environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 17,800 professionals in more than 280 locations in 79 countries shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2023, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 6.0 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com
AVK in brief
AVK are the largest and fastest-growing supplier of innovative power solutions for data centres and the financial sector in the UK and Europe, specialising in all aspects of the design, planning, implementation, and continuing maintenance. At AVK, we power tomorrow’s data. As a team, we are disrupting the way the data industry connects to and consumes energy by developing innovative and sustainable solutions across the globe. We work together across disciplines to tackle complex, large-scale, and ground-breaking engineering and energy projects. With offices and hubs across the UK and Europe, AVK are in a unique position in terms of operational scale and delivery capability to help deploy leading edge solutions for our clients – helping them meet their power demands alongside their sustainability goals.
To learn more, visit www.avk-seg.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
South Africa
4 Powerful Street,
Paarden Eiland
7405,
Cape Town
Tel. +27 21 5111 230
Nigeria
Wärtsilä Marine and Power Services Nigeria
23 Oba Akinjobi Street
Ikeja GRA, Lagos
Nigeria
Tel. +234 907 808 0936 - Marine enquiry
+234 8057217049 - New Builds enquiry
+234 708 624 3992 - After Sales enquiry
E-mail: Sales/Services equiries WNG@Wartsila.com
Kenya
ABC Towers - 7A, ABC Place
Waiyaki Way
Nairobi
Tel. +254 20 7602 400 (Pilot)
E-mail: info.wea@wartsila.com
Senegal
Wärtsilä West Africa
Immeuble Le Thiargane 7ème étage, Mermoz Place OMVS
B.P. 21861 Dakar-Ponty, Dakar - Senegal
Tel + 221 33 865 41 00
Fax + 221 33 864 42 72
E-mail: West.africa@wartsila.com
Madagascar
Fort Dauphin (Taolagnaro)
QMM Madena, Fort Dauphin, 614
Madagascar
Tel. +261 20 224 3267
Fax: +261 20 224 3253
Cameroon
Wärtsilä Central Africa
Wärtsilä Base, Essengue
Douala, Cameroon
Tel +237 33 50 54 00
Fax +237 33 50 54 99
wcm@wartsila.com for general information
wcmsales@wartsila.com for commercial issues