200 kW on natural gas, for rent or purchase.
The 200 kW class covers a lot of Alberta work: a lease with pumps on it, a grain yard at harvest, a shop that cannot sit dark. Below is the Cummins set listed at this rating, the gas units a step either side of it, and the conversions that stop a kW figure being read as kVA.
A Cummins 855 set, wired for 600 V.
The 855 in the engine name is its displacement in cubic inches, roughly 14 litres. Here it turns a Stamford brushless generator end set up for 347/600 V three-phase, the service many Alberta commercial and industrial buildings already run on, so a 600 V site connects without a transformer in between.
It can be quoted to rent or buy today. The package sits on its own trailer, which suits work that moves: a lease this month, a yard the next. Engines of the same family are covered on the engines for sale page.
| Engine | Cummins 855 TA (natural gas) |
|---|---|
| Alternator | Stamford brushless, 600 V |
| Output | 200 kW |
| Voltage | 347/600 V · 3-phase |
| Cooling | Radiator, 100 °F (38 °C) ambient |
| Exhaust | Stainless flex pipe |
| Charging | 24 VDC automatic battery charger |
| Enclosure | Weatherproof, trailer-mounted |
200 kW is 250 kVA.
Generator nameplates carry both numbers, and searches and tenders use them interchangeably. At the standard 0.8 power factor, the kVA figure is the kW figure divided by 0.8. So the set on this page is a 250 kVA machine, and a set sold as "200 kVA" is really 160 kW.
The current matters as much as the rating, because it sizes the cable. A 200 kW load on 480 V draws about the same current as a 250 kW load on 600 V. The power calculators handle any other voltage or power factor.
| 200 kW, three-phase | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated output | 200 kW |
| Same set in kVA (0.8 pf) | 250 kVA |
| Phase current at 208 V | about 694 A |
| Phase current at 480 V | about 301 A |
| Phase current at 600 V | about 241 A |
The sets either side of 200 kW.
A load that measures under 200 kW with gentle motor starts may suit the next set down. One with a hard-starting compressor may need the next one up. These cards come from the inventory and refresh every hour, so each one is listed to rent, to buy, or both. Check the voltage line on each before comparing anything else.
MAN E2876E312
155 kW- Frequency
- On request
- Voltage
- 480 V
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
NPI Series 170
170 kW- Frequency
- 60 Hz
- Voltage
- 480 V
- Fuel
- NG / LP
Cummins 200 kW
200 kW- Frequency
- 60 Hz
- Voltage
- 347/600 V
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
NPI250
250 kW- Output
- 390 kVA
- Frequency
- 60 Hz
- Voltage
- 480 V
- Fuel
- NG / LP
One size up, the 250 kW natural gas page centres on the NPI250 built in Red Deer. Smaller loads are on the 100 kW rental page, and the generators by size table lists the whole fleet. Where there is no gas at all, diesel rentals bring their own fuel.
Four jobs that usually land at this size.
A lease with pumps and a compressor
Wellsite motors, heat trace and a small building, often on a site that has gas but no power line yet. Gas that is already on the lease can sometimes fuel the set.
Oilfield production power →Grain drying at harvest
Dryer burners, fans and augers that run for weeks in the fall, on a yard where single-phase service will not start the motors.
Agriculture power →A shop or small plant on standby
The circuits that have to come back after an outage: compressors, a few process motors, controls and lighting. Sizing starts from that list, not the main breaker.
Emergency standby generators →A site waiting for its service
A new building or yard finished before the utility energizes it. The set carries the load until the permanent connection is live, then goes back.
Power until the utility connects →Three things to find out about the gas.
The utility or the lease operator answers these, and the answers decide whether a gas set works on the site at all. The fuel consumption calculator gives a starting figure for the volume question.
Pressure at the meter or riser
Engines need gas delivered within a pressure range. Too low at full load and the set will not carry its rating.
Volume the line can spare
The supply has to cover the generator at full output on top of the furnaces, heaters and burners already on it.
What is in the gas
Pipeline gas is consistent. Lease gas varies, so an analysis decides whether it can be burned and what has to treat it first.
Burning lease or casing gas is covered in more depth on the industrial natural gas generator rentals page. Buying rather than renting? Start with natural gas generators for sale or the used gas generators.
Questions about 200 kW gas sets.
What is the difference between a 200 kW and a 200 kVA generator?
About 40 kW. Three-phase sets are rated at 0.8 power factor, so a 200 kVA set delivers 160 kW and a 200 kW set is a 250 kVA machine. Listings and old quotes mix the two, so check which unit a figure is in before choosing between sets.
What does a 200 kW natural gas generator cost?
There is no rate card. Each quote covers the set, whether it is rented or bought and for how long, transport from Red Deer, and any cable, distribution or transformer the site needs. Send the loads, the voltage and the site location and the price comes back in writing.
Will the 200 kW Cummins set run on propane?
Its listing names natural gas as the fuel. For propane, look at the dual-fuel sets in the grid above, such as the NPI Series 170, whose card lists propane.
Can a 600 V generator run a 480 V load?
Not directly. A step-down transformer goes between them, and it can be quoted with the set. If most of the load is 480 V, a set wired for 480 V may be the simpler choice; each card shows the voltage it is listed at.
How many amps does a 200 kW generator supply?
At 600 V, about 241 A per phase. At 480 V, about 301 A, and at 208 V, about 694 A. Those figures assume a three-phase load at 0.8 power factor; the power calculators work it out for other voltages.
Is it better to rent or buy a 200 kW generator?
Rent when the need has an end date: harvest, a shutdown, the months before a service is connected. Buy when the set will be the building's backup or a site's everyday power for years. A listing that offers both can be quoted both ways for comparison.
Working to about 200 kW? Tell us the loads.
A motor list, the voltage and the gas details are enough for a first answer. Equipment ships from 77 Queensgate Cres, Red Deer, to sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and field service answers 24/7.