In short. 1 MVA means one megavolt-ampere — exactly 1,000 kVA. As a generator, that is 800 kW at 0.8 power factor, about 1,391 A per phase at 415 V, or 52.5 A at 11 kV. People search “1 MVA generator” and “1000 kVA generator” for the same machine; suppliers quote both ways. This page gives the numbers, what a 1 MVA set actually serves, the LV-versus-11 kV decision that begins at this size, and the routes to owning or renting one.
1 MVA in practical numbers
- Power: 1,000 kVA = 800 kW at the 0.8 PF generators are rated at. At unity power factor loads it still delivers at most 800 kW — the engine, not the alternator, is the ceiling.
- Current: about 1,391 A per phase at 415 V; 52.5 A at 11 kV. The full table from 7.5 to 3,000 kVA is on the full-load current chart.
- Fuel: at full load, roughly 160–200 litres of diesel per hour depending on engine and duty — which is why tank sizing and refuelling logistics are designed, not guessed; use the fuel and runtime calculator.
- Physically: a containerised or large-canopy machine of around 10–14 tonnes installed, wanting a real foundation, serious cabling and a CPCB-height stack (about building height + 6.3 m at this rating).
Who runs 1 MVA sets
Factories with heavy motor loads, commercial towers and IT campuses, hospitals, malls, cold chains, data facilities, pump stations and events or outages that bridge whole sites. At this size many plants also stop buying one machine and start designing a plant: two or three sets in parallel for redundancy and better part-load behaviour. The trade-offs are quantified in our multi-DG calculator and discussed in the 1–2 MVA plant engineering guide.
415 V or 11 kV: the decision that starts at 1 MVA
1,391 A is where LV distribution begins to hurt: parallel cable runs, large breakers, and voltage drop over any distance. If the load centre is far from the set, or the site already runs an 11 kV ring, generating at 11 kV (or stepping up through a transformer) moves the same megawatt at 52 A and thin cable. The crossover depends on distance, the existing switchgear and protection — it is an engineering decision we work through with you, not a catalogue line. Our transformer calculator and cable calculator frame the first pass.
Four routes to a megawatt
- New set — Cummins, Caterpillar, Perkins, MTU, Kirloskar and peers all build the class; we quote across makes. See what decides the price.
- Refurbished — the saving is largest in big frames; every set is load-bank tested and refurbished machines carry our six-month warranty. Start at used and refurbished generators.
- Two or three smaller sets in parallel — redundancy, staged investment and better light-load behaviour, at the cost of synchronising gear.
- Rental — for projects, shutdowns and bridging; large sets with operators are a routine hire for us, priced as on the rental rates page.
Planning a megawatt-class installation?
Send the load list, the site and the duty to WhatsApp 098852 01608 or the enquiry form. We supply, install, parallel and service this class across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and project sites across India — generators, panels, changeover, exhaust and commissioning as one accountable scope.
Questions asked about 1 MVA generators
Is 1 MVA the same as 1000 kVA?
Yes — M is mega, k is kilo: 1 MVA = 1,000 kVA = 800 kW at 0.8 power factor. Same machine, two spellings.
How many amps does a 1 MVA generator produce?
About 1,391 A per phase at 415 V three-phase, or 52.5 A at 11 kV.
How much diesel does a 1 MVA set burn?
Of the order of 160–200 L/h at full load, engine-dependent, and much less at part load — work your duty through the fuel estimator.
What does a 1 MVA generator cost?
Rating, make, emission stage, enclosure and the electrical scope set it — see the price guide, then send the specifics for a firm quotation across two or three makes.
One 1 MVA set or two 500 kVA sets?
One set is cheaper and simpler; two keep half the plant through any failure. The redundancy calculator and what an outage costs you decide it.
Technical content reviewed by D. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Partner and Service Engineer, Reddy Generators. Last updated 1 November 2026.