1979 - 1999
1979
Wärtsilä Power, Inc (now Wärtsilä North America, Inc.) is incorporated & headquartered in New Orleans, LA
1980
Doran, Inc. (now Wartsila Defense, Inc.) begins operations in Chesapeake, VA, as a propeller repair facility
1986
1st U.S. sales office for power plants is opened in Greenwich, Connecticut
Wärtsilä signs 1st power plant order in AMER: Eli Lilly in Puerto Rico 2 x 6L32, 2 x 9L32
1988
Facility is opened in Seattle, WA
Wärtsilä sells and delivers its first power barge, Estrella Del Norte, 40 MW, to the Dominican Republic. The power barge was built in Louisiana in under 6 months.
1989
Facility is opened in Miami, FL
Headquarters moves to Chestertown, MD. 1st location to house all 3 business areas(Service, Power, Ship Power). New Orleans facility remains operational
1990
Ringgold Power Plant in Pennsylvania, owned by Cogentrix at the time, becomes Wärtsilä's 1st gas-power plant in the U.S. The plant supplies hot water to heat 10 acre hydroponic greenhouse for tomatoes.
1993
Annapolis, MD, established as the new U.S. Headquarters
1997
Miami Facility relocates to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. New facility provides room for Service Training Center, Inventory from other offices, and Service group moves to this new location from Annapolis
1999
Wärtsilä Defense, Inc. establishes headquarters in Chesapeake, VA, by consolidating marine shaft sealing business in Buffalo Grove, IL, with a submarine propeller repair facility
1988: Wärtsilä's 1st power barge built and delivered, Estrella del Norte
1990: Aerial view of Ringgold Power Plant with 10 acre hydroponic greenhouse in background highlighted in Pennsylvania newspaper supplement
1993: Delivery in transit. Wärtsilä sells and delivers two power barges (110 MW) to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. Both power barges built in U.S. shipyard on the Gulf Coast.
2000 - 2009
2001: Plains End I is first 100+ MW gas-fired power plant powered by Wärtsilä globally
2008: Pearsall Station (203 MW) is Wärtsilä's first large scale order in the state of Texas
2001
Wärtsilä receives its largest order ever for a gas-fired power plant (110 MW), located near Arvada, Colorado. This power plant is the first 100+ MW gas-fired powered by Wärtsilä globally.
2002
Wärtsilä acquires a leading global supplier of marine propulsion systems, John Crane Lips, Inc. with offices in Chesapeake, VA and Poulsbo, WA which will operate globally as Wärtsilä Propulsion and within the US as Wärtsilä Lips, Inc.
2003
U.S. Headquarters was established in Houston, TX. All three business areas are present in new location. Annapolis office remains open as a Power Plants sales office.
Facility is opened in Long Beach, CA, to be near the slow-speed engine/cruise industry.
2005
Assets of Gerhardt, Inc. are acquired by Wärtsilä North America, Inc.
2008
All Gerhardt, Inc. locations change name to Wärtsilä North America, Inc.
Assets of CISERV USA are acquired by Wärtsilä North America, Inc.
Wärtsilä Lips Inc. changes its name to Wärtsilä Defense, Inc.
Wärtsilä receives its first order for a large installation (203 MW gas power plant) in the state of Texas from South Texas Electric Cooperative.
2010 - 2019
2011: NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony
2016: Engine donation to Texas A&M University at Galveston
2011
Wärtsilä signs order to equip first ever U.S. flagged LNG offshore vessel.
A Wärtsilä hybrid diesel propulsion system is donated to the Engineering Department at the State University of New York, Maritime College. The facility is named "Wärtsilä Lab."
The NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony is co-hosted by Wärtsilä and SUNY, Maritime College.
2012
Assets of Hamworthy plc are acquired by Wärtsilä.
Wärtsilä donates controllable pitch propulsion system to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY.
The NASDAQ Opening Bell ceremony is hosted by Wärtsilä.
2014
Facility in Seattle relocates to be closer to the Port of Seattle.
2015
Wärtsilä hosts Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony in honor of its 100th anniversary as a stock-listed company.
New Orleans facilities relocate closer to petrochemical, offshore, and LNG industries.
Wärtsilä completes the acquisition of L-3 Marine Systems International.
2016
Wärtsilä acquires Weir American Hydro to strengthen presence in hydro and industrial services.
Wärtsilä signs major contract to supply a 225 MW Smart Power Generation plant for the City of Denton, Texas to provide balancing power to the community, moving towards a green, low emissions power system, aiming to have 70 % of its energy produced from renewables by early 2019 as part of the Renewable Denton plan.
Wärtsilä supports industry future with engine donation to Texas A&M University at Galveston.
2017
Wärtsilä aquires Greensmith Energy Management Systems, Inc., a US-based leader in intelligent energy storage technology and solutions.
2018
Wärtsilä announces the aquisition of Transas, a global market leader in marine navigation solutions that include complete bridge systems, digital products and electronic charts. It is also a leader in professional training and simulation services, as well as ship traffic control systems.
Wärtsilä listed among the “2018 Global 100” Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.
Wärtsilä expands the service offering of its QuantiServ business line with the acquisition of the American engineering company LOCK-N-STITCH. The acquisition strengthens Wärtsilä’s service portfolio for customers operating multiple brands.
2020 - Present
Wärtsilä Expertise Centre in Houston, TX
USA’s 1st zero-emission high speed ferries project with San Francisco’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)
2022
Wärtsilä announces the divestment of American Hydro to Enprotech Corp
Wärtsilä is system integrator for Bleutec’s Binary Marine Installation Solution (BMIS). The BMIS is a cost-effective, Jones Act compliant alternative to the more expensive heavy-lift jack-up Wind Turbine Installation Vessels.
Wärtsilä & US partners succeed with world’s first-of-its-kind power plant fuel tests using blended hydrogen
Wärtsilä opens Expertise Centre in Houston, TX to serve North American energy customers with remote support
Wärtsilä Defense, Inc. changes its name to Defense Maritime Solutions, Inc.
2023
Wärtsilä and Carnival Corporation partner in sustainability pilot project to reduce plastic waste used in marine operations
Wärtsilä enters strategic partnership for electrification and integration services agreement for USA’s first zero-emission high speed ferries project with San Francisco’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), the operator of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system.
Wärtsilä and Eolian complete 200 MW standalone energy storage facility in Texas, the largest merchant battery system in the world. It is also the first use of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for standalone utility-scale energy storage systems, which was introduced through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022.
Wärtsilä Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies List. This list highlights companies making an extraordinary impact around the world.