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The CEO of Wärtsilä said that Agnevall also said customers seeking to secure supply are already placing orders several years ahead
In sum – what to know:
2028 capacity – Wärtsilä said it has already sold a large portion of its 2028 engine production capacity while beginning to book firm orders for 2029.
Data center demand – The company described the data center market as “buoyant” and said larger facilities are increasingly aligning with its engine portfolio.
Firm orders only – Wärtsilä emphasized that it announces only firm orders and does not sell production slots or include reservations in its order reporting.
Wärtsilä said demand for energy projects, including data centers, remains strong, with a large share of its 2028 engine production capacity already committed and firm orders beginning to extend into 2029.
Speaking during the company’s latest results call, President and CEO Håkan Agnevall characterized the data center market as active despite the timing uncertainty associated with individual projects.
Agnevall also said customers seeking to secure supply are already placing orders several years ahead. “We are already sold out for 2028. You’re certainly looking at a lead time of three years if you want to contract with us.”.
Later in the discussion, he clarified the company’s position on future production availability. “It’s correct that we have already sold a big chunk of our 2028 capacity. We still have some, but we have sold quite a bit. And so we are still selling 2028 and starting selling 2029 as well.”
Agnevall stressed that Wärtsilä’s reported order intake reflects only signed business commitments. “I think our approach is that we announced firm orders. We are not selling slots. We don’t work with slot compensation contrary to some of our competitors.”
Agnevall also emphasized the importance of delivery schedules in the current market environment. “The key parameter is lead time. That’s lead time. Number two is lead time,” he said.
Rising AI infrastructure demand and ongoing grid interconnection delays are accelerating interest in behind-the-meter and off-grid power generation across the U.S. data center market, Sean Hughes, business development manager at Wärtsilä Energy, recently told RCRTech.
As hyperscale operators and AI-focused developers expand capacity requirements, access to reliable electricity is becoming a growing constraint in several U.S. markets. The issue is particularly relevant for AI workloads, which require significantly higher power density and faster deployment timelines than traditional data center infrastructure.
“I see off grid and behind the meter power becoming a permanent part of how large U.S. data centers are designed and delivered,” Hughes said. “Grid interconnection delays are a reality, and AI driven workloads are significantly increasing both power density and urgency.”
According to Hughes, developers are increasingly turning to onsite generation systems that can be deployed independently of utility interconnection timelines. He said modular engine-based systems are gaining traction because they allow operators to expand power capacity incrementally as infrastructure requirements grow.
