Wärtsilä has announced a €50 million investment to expand its Sustainable Technology Hub in Vaasa, Finland, with the extension expected to be completed in 2028.
The Sustainable Technology Hub opened in 2022 and currently spans 90,000 square metres, employing more than 2,000 people. All Wärtsilä portfolio engines are manufactured at the site, which also includes a training centre and a global remote monitoring centre.
The expansion will add nearly 8,000 square metres to the site and will focus on strengthening R&D testing capabilities to support the development of technologies capable of operating on low- and zero-carbon fuels such as ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol.
The company says the investment will reduce testing time and emissions, lower costs, and support faster product development. It may also enable increased manufacturing capacity at the site in future.
The facility is designed to be energy self-sufficient, generating its own electricity and heat. Waste heat from engine testing and other operations is stored in a thermal energy tank and reused to heat the building, with surplus electricity returned to the grid.
