Wärtsilä will supply five gas-fired engine-generator units for a 59 MW power plant expansion at Moomba in South Australia, supporting an upgrade of gas production infrastructure in the region. The Finnish technology company said the order was booked in the third quarter of 2026, with equipment deliveries scheduled for mid-2027. The contract also includes advisory services, although Wärtsilä did not disclose its financial value or identify the customer.
The expansion forms part of an infrastructure modernisation project by one of Australia’s major oil and gas producers. The operator plans to replace compression equipment at seven gas-driven compressor stations with a single centralised station powered by electricity. The 59 MW plant will supply the power required for the centralised operation, changing how energy is used to support gas-field production.
The facility will use five Wärtsilä 31SG engine-generator units running on natural gas sourced from the local Moomba fields. Wärtsilä said the engines were selected for their efficiency and their potential to support the economics of gas production. By generating electricity close to the gas-processing operation, the plant will provide power for the new compression system, although the company did not disclose expected fuel savings or the project’s projected emissions impact.
The project illustrates how gas-fired engines can serve industrial energy requirements beyond conventional electricity generation for the public grid. In this case, the 59 MW expansion is intended to support gas-field infrastructure rather than being announced as a new source of electricity for South Australian households. The move from seven gas-driven compressor stations to a centralised electric-driven facility changes the configuration of the operation, but the overall efficiency and environmental effects will depend on the performance of the new system and its fuel use.
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Wärtsilä said the 31SG engine’s flexibility could offer future opportunities to use sustainable fuels and integrate renewable energy into the site’s energy mix as the customer’s strategy develops. These are potential future applications, not confirmed features of the current project. The plant is initially designed to run on natural gas from the Moomba fields, and no timetable or target for switching to alternative fuels has been announced.
The order adds to Wärtsilä’s portfolio of engine-based power solutions for industrial and energy-sector customers. The company supplies generating equipment for applications where reliable on-site electricity is required, including remote industrial operations. For the Moomba project, the immediate objective is to provide 59 MW of generation capacity for the planned centralised compression facility, with equipment delivery expected to begin in mid-2027.
