Perkins has started series production of the 5016, the 16-cylinder engine that completes its 5000 Series for power generation, the company said in a release carried by Construction Equipment Guide on 7 October. The 61-litre V16 is rated 1,400 to 2,500 kVA at 50 Hz for base load, prime and standby duty. The smaller 5006, 5008 and 5012 are already in service; with the 5016 the all-electronic range now runs from 23 to 61 litres and from 750 to 2,500 kVA, building on the mechanically governed 4000 Series.
The engine was shown to the trade press at Perkins' Stafford plant in September. According to Power Progress, long blocks are built in Aurangabad, India, and finished and hot-tested either there, for South and South-East Asian customers, or in Stafford, England. The finished engine weighs about six tonnes.
Two Small Turbochargers Instead of One Big One
Most of what Perkins says about the 5016 concerns load acceptance. Each cylinder bank carries a pair of smaller turbochargers rather than a single large unit, and the exhaust manifolds are shaped to feed them quickly, which the company says shortens the transient response. Electronically controlled injectors trim timing and pressure for ambient temperature and altitude. Perkins states that the 5000 Series engines reach full power in under 13 seconds from start and are designed to meet the ISO 8528-5 G3 and NFPA 110 load-acceptance requirements. Dan Bentley, EAME sales director, said he expects the sixteen-cylinder to meet customers' uptime expectations in the same way as the smaller models.
On emissions, the 60 Hz version is certified to U.S. EPA Tier 2 for emergency stationary use; the 50 Hz version has fuel-optimised configurations that Perkins says emit at Tier 2-equivalent levels. The low-pressure fuel system developed for the series is meant to tolerate varying fuel quality, and the engine runs on biodiesel blends up to B20 or on 100 % HVO. Oil service intervals are quoted at up to 750 hours or two years.
Where the Lead Time Really Sits
Perkins is open about who it expects to buy the engine: generator sets for mid-size data centres, hospitals, airports and remote worksites. James Gardiner, business development manager, called data-centre demand "insatiable" in September and said the company can scale 5000 Series output. He also made a point that packagers know well: the availability of a finished generator set depends on the alternator and the cooling system as much as on the engine. Power Progress adds Skanska USA's summer 2026 market report, which found that sets of 2 MW and above are absorbing manufacturing capacity and expects generator prices from 100 kW to 4.5 MW to rise 8 to 10 % this year.
For anyone specifying a 2 to 2.5 MVA standby set for next year, the engine is the easier part of the order. The alternator, the radiator, the attenuators and the enclosure or container each have their own lead time, and the longest one sets the delivery date. Ask the packager for the critical path of the whole set, not the engine build slot.
Sources: Construction Equipment Guide, Power Progress