Wärtsilä commits to carbon neutrality by 2030

Finnish technology company Wärtsilä has revealed its “Set for 30” commitment to achieving ambitious climate targets under which it plans to become carbon-neutral in its own operations as well as to provide a product portfolio to be ready for zero-carbon fuels.

Wärtsilä’s decarbonisation roadmap is based on a company-initiated analysis to identify the key measures for reaching the carbon neutrality target. The toolbox includes measures such as energy savings, green electricity purchases, switching fuels, the use of more efficient technologies, and the use of offsets for emissions hard to abate. A detailed implementation plan and timeline is currently being worked on.

“These new ambitious “Set for 30” climate targets demonstrate our commitment to our purpose of enabling sustainable societies.,” Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO of Wärtsilä, commented.

“Our products, solutions and services will meet stringent environmental requirements, and the fuel flexibility of our engines powering these sectors is key for enabling the transformation. In parallel we also need to do our part as an organisation and minimise our own environmental footprint.”

In July 2021, Wärtsilä launched a major test program towards carbon-free solutions with hydrogen and ammonia fuels. The company reported “encouraging results”, with one test engine performing very well when running on fuel with 70% ammonia content at a typical marine load range. The other tests were also completed successfully on an engine in pure hydrogen operation, Wärtsilä claims.

The technology group expects to have an engine running on an ammonia blend already this year and an engine concept with pure ammonia fuel in 2023. 

Furthermore, the firm believes that it will have an engine and plant concept for pure hydrogen operation ready by 2025. In the energy sector, green hydrogen will deliver 7 percent of the global energy demand by 2050, Wärtsilä said.

Currently, its engines can use natural gas, biogas, synthetic methane or blends containing up to 25% hydrogen.

A few days ago, the company also announced that it will cooperate with Norwegian shipping company Solvang ASA to conduct a full-scale pilot retrofit installation of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system on one of Solvang’s ethylene carriers.

The agreement reinforces Wärtsilä’s continued research and development into carbon capture at the point of exhaust to support the shipping industry’s decarbonisation pathway. Partners are initially aiming for a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions at the point of exhaust with this pilot unit. 

“Wärtsilä has invested a lot in R&D and has made a long-term effort in product development focusing on fuel flexibility, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction. This is a natural step in our aim to shape the decarbonisation of marine and energy,” Agnevall concluded.