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Dean Motl, Vice President of Business Development at IHI Power Services, provides operations, maintenance, management, and power plant support services to the U.S. power generation industry. For more information, visit IHIpower.com

Winterizing and protecting turbomachinery can mitigate the impact of extreme weather events on the industry’s ability to meet power demands. 

Winterizing turbomachinery and protecting equipment from extreme weather

Since 1983, energy executives have made the trek to Houston for CERAWeek, often referred to as the Superbowl for the energy industry. What started out as an oil and gas conference for a few dozen now draws more than 10,000 attendees with 1,400 speakers from 89 countries. And “energy” includes oil and gas, coal and nuclear, renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro), and energy storage.

First to the stage: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright

The message was clear: There’s a new sheriff in town with new priorities for U.S. energy policy. At CERAWeek 2024, then-U.S. DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm told the audience, “LNG exports will soon be in the rear-view mirror.” Today’s U.S. DOE Secretary, Chris Wright, works in an alternate universe seeking energy supply dominance. Wright removed the “pause” invoked on permitting LNG projects by Granholm and is providing permitting support to speed up the construction of pipelines and LNG export facilities.

“Climate change is a global physical phenomenon that is a side effect of building the modern world. I am a climate realist. Everything in life involves trade-offs. Everything,” Wright said.

At CERAWeek 2024, the conference was abuzz with the realization that AI has created demand for more electricity than had been forecasted. However, since March 2024, the magnitude of the pending electricity shortage has become more fully understood. AI has evolved from a gradual step-up in productivity to an Arms race.

“The implications on national defense make it simply critical that America leads the AI race,” Wright said.

Stated more directly at CERAWeek by Doug Bergum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, having global atmospheric temperatures increase by 2 degrees by 2050 is not an existential threat.

“The two existential threats at hand are Iran getting nuclear weapons and losing the AI war,” he said.

More generation capacity of all types is needed immediately to supply the electricity-hungry AI data centers. Utilities and developers in many regions of the United States are racing to install baseload gas turbine combined-cycle power, but they can’t get it fast enough 

. Deliveries for large gas turbines from GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and Mitsubishi are now being scheduled for 2028 - 2029. Once the turbines are delivered to the site, it typically takes approximately 12 months to build out a combined-cycle plant. Heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), step-up (or step-down) transformers, and other electrical equipment have their own supply-chain challenges.

John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Corp., the largest utility company in the United States, lamented, “We completed a modern combined cycle in 2022 for $785 per KW, but a new build for 2030 commercial operation will cost $2,400 per KW.”

There will be winners and losers in the race for AI dominance and quantum computing market share. Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), META (Facebook), and Oracle are all investing billions and racing aggressively to get a competitive edge.

With the large gas turbine supply essentially sold out for the next three to four years, other solutions are coming into play:

Buying or leasing smaller gas turbines or reciprocating engine gensets as a short-term bridge

Unretiring mothballed nuclear plants and coal plants

Upgrading transmission lines to de-bottleneck the grid

Using demand-side management to create “virtual power plants” to reduce peak load.

The power surge from AI will need all these solutions and more.

Energy Transition Reinvented—Now Energy Addition

The power surge from AI has done more than create a bonanza for turbine OEMs and engineering, procurement, and construction contractors. “Build Baby Build” has also brought about the remake of the energy transition to the energy addition.The energy trilemma of security, affordability, and sustainability has been reshaped 

.Security and affordability now rule the roost as practical solutions rise to the top. Funding for the green energy fantasy of green hydrogen (or any hydrogen) is fading rapidly. Offshore wind generation is not financeable in most regions of the world without substantial government subsidy. Carbon capture as a universal attachment to all gas and coal plants is not affordable. Specialized carbon-capture projects at huge sequestration hubs with substantial economies of scale may survive. Ironically, OXY’s direct air capture technology shows some promise by removing CO

 from the atmosphere and injecting the CO

directly into oil and gas formations to enhance production of more oil and gas, thus linking to the energy addition.

Modular nuclear reactors are getting serious attention for providing carbon-free baseload generation. A nuclear renaissance has been talked about for decades but could never overcome the history of project costs far exceeding budgets. Now, a new approach is on the table: SMRs built offsite in a factory and delivered to the job site, perhaps adjacent to an existing nuke or fossil-fueled plant.

There is also a race to establish the SMR design that could become the standard for the new era of nukes. GE Vernova, with Hitachi, is promoting a 300-MW SMR and plans to begin operation of unit 1 of 4 in 2029 at an existing nuclear power plant at Darlington (Toronto), Ontario. Other SMR designs by NuScale Corp., Google, and Amazon are focused on design modules in the 80 – 100 MW size, modeled after the U.S. Savannah commercial cargo ship 

On the last day of CERAWeek, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy described, with great enthusiasm, his outlook for a $44 Billion LNG export project. The Alaska LNG Project has three major components:

A 3.5 BCFD gas-gathering and processing plant on the north slope, an 800-mile 42-inch pipeline to Niniski (near Anchorage), and a 20 million MTPA liquefaction near Kenai. The project also includes carbon capture.

Construction of the gas pipeline would begin in 2026 with gas flowing in 2028.

The conditioning plant and export facility are scheduled for completion in 2030 - 2031.

While financing is not yet in place, Dunleavy is highly optimistic.

"We have all the permits, feedback from all the court cases, the support of the President of the United States, and Asian allies that need gas," Dunleavy said.

Unlike the major LNG terminals in Texas and Louisiana, Alaska LNG can be delivered in a straight shot to Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia without traveling through the Panama Canal.

The project, which was approved during Trump's first term as President, received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorization in 2020 and final legal approval in 2022 but was put on hold during the Biden administration. Trump signed an executive order during his first day in office called “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” The executive order removed certain restrictions on drilling as well as barriers to the development of mining and timber resources imposed by the previous administration. After more than 10 years of planning and permitting, it looks like the Alaska LNG Project could become a reality. Stay tuned.

“Build Baby Build” has brought about the remake of the energy transition to the energy addition.   

Conference Coverage

CERAWeek 2025 by S&P Global—‘Build Baby Build’

MTU Maintenance is constructing a new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) production section at its Berlin-Brandenburg location, supporting a 30% increase in shop visit volumes in the coming years. The German location services GE Aerospace’s LM-series aeroderivative industrial gas turbines (IGT), specifically the LM2500, LM6000, and other models. This expansion aims to improve workscope customization, satisfy customer requirements, and meet growing market demand.

“The demand for IGT maintenance is there, so I am quite confident we will achieve our goal of 30% more engines coming through our doors,” said Henrik Harksen, Director of Sales for IGTs, MTU Aero Engines. “This is why we have boosted our sales force and presence in local market segments across the globe.”

The new addition is slated to commence operations in January 2027 after completion.

In 2024, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg purchased an existing structure next to its facility, which is now being demolished to accommodate a 113,000-square-foot MRO and business development expansion. The new production hall will house:

40 additional aeroderivative engine experts

The shop hosts an engine dock for rapid maintenance and turn arounds, and the apprentice workshop falls under a new training center to train and qualify mechanics. MTU Power’s expansion is designed to strengthen its independent LM-series MRO services.

“The aeroderivatives program is a crucial part of the success of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg,” said André Sinanian, Managing Director and Senior VP of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg. “The new maintenance facility is the continuation of a plan to modernize and expand the location, and to set it up for the coming decades.”

The location offers customized MRO solutions for additional regional aircraft engines, such as the CF34-8, CF34-10E, CFM56-7B, as well as Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW200, PW300, and PW500. In 2024, MTU upgraded a test cell with advanced testing equipment and software to meet its CFM56-7B ramp-up operations. Over the last 30 years since LM-based MRO activities began, the site has completed over 1,500 shop visits.

 extension with Equinor ASA for MRO work on its LM-series industrial gas turbines. MTU Power will service Equinor’s fleet of GE Vernova Gas Power LM2500 and LM6000 industrial gas turbines until 2028. The MRO contract was initially signed in 2015 and, in addition to turbine servicing, it also entails offshore field service support, piece part repairs, and in-country level 2 maintenance, including module swaps and smaller work scopes.

Also in April, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg 

 by Luftfahrtbundesamt, the German aviation authority, for the next steps in obtaining its CFM56-7B test capabilities. And MTU Maintenance Dallas received approval, from the Federal Aviation Authority, to test the engine model after a successful correlation of its test cell.

The test cell approval (for its location south of the German capital) completes its CFM56-7B portfolio expansion so that the Berlin-Brandenburg location can conduct the full range of MRO workscopes on the engine model, including testing, at one site. MTU Maintenance also announced its plans to expand its global ON-SITE

 service activities. The company is integrating its on-site services by creating a central unit that will oversee and steer the global network of MRO response teams.

The new industrial gas turbine field-service shop will house an engine dock and apprentice workshop to train and qualify mechanics.

MTU Maintenance Expands Gas Turbine MRO Facility in Germany

Greg Gammon, Director of Global and Corporate Partnerships at Texas A&M’s Engineering Experiment Station, gave us a detailed and historical account of College Station’s Turbomachinery Laboratory and its associated programs during our tour in mid-February.

Gammon addressed the Lab’s extensive industry partnerships and research consortia, as well as the role of symposia and short-course programs in shaping students’ and professionals’ education.

Greg Gammon of Texas A&M says that partnerships across hydraulics, vibration, power, and propulsion allow for direct industry engagement.

Texas A&M’s Turbo Lab Broadens Education with Industry Partnerships, Symposiums

TURBO: What external relationships/partnerships does the lab have with the industry?

The laboratory has numerous external industry partners through our sponsored research, which also includes government entities. We run two research consortia, including the Turbomachinery Research Consortia, which has industry and government partners. We’re also establishing the Energy and Propulsion Research Consortia. That’s on our research side.

On the workforce development side, we have the Turbomachinery & Pump Symposium (TPS), which brings together all major players and support companies in rotating equipment to Houston every year. We have Asia TPS (ATPS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—another set of industry partners.

We also have partnership agreements with the Global Power and Propulsion Society, the Hydraulic Institute, and the Vibration Institute so that we have a holistic ability to engage with industry through those avenues.

TURBO: How do the symposia and short-course programs translate into the real world?

We always say that our principal product at the Turbomachinery Lab is educating students. Not only the master’s and PhD students here at the laboratory, but everyone is a lifelong student, and continuing education is extremely important. Coming to TPS in Houston, ATPS in Kuala Lumpur, or the various multi-day short courses allows people to continue their education path and improve their knowledge across various avenues and topics.

, featuring a tour of Texas A&M’s Turbomachinery Laboratory.

B roll video credit: Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications

Worldwide Holding Berhad’s 1,200-MW Pulau Indah power plant began commercial operation outside of Kuala Lumpur, powered by two 600-MW blocks of GE Vernova’s HA combined-cycle equipment:

Two once-through heat recovery steam generators

GE Vernova also signed a 21-year maintenance and software services agreement for Pulau Indah, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power up to 2.5 million Malaysian homes. Plant performance will be monitored and enhanced with GE Vernova’s Mark VIe distributed control system software, improving asset visibility, reliability, and availability. Sensors will collect data to be continuously monitored and analyzed at GE Vernova’s Monitoring & Diagnostics Center in Greenville, SC, reducing operation and maintenance costs.

“We are proud to add this plant to the 116 units operating globally, and that have amassed more than 3 million commercial operating hours, the equivalent capacity needed to power more than 50 million U.S. homes,” said Ramesh Singaram, President and CEO of Asia, Gas Power, GE Vernova. “With more than 40 years of operations and the largest base of installed gas turbines in the country, GE Vernova is qualified to support Malaysia’s energy transition, while helping meet the growing power demand in the country.”

The plant’s 9HA gas turbines are engineered to be flexible with high-ramp rates and fast start-up times, featuring the capability to combust up to 50% hydrogen-natural gas blends to meet intermittent supply and fluctuating demand.

Over the next 30 years, Malaysia’s economy is expected to triple in size with population exceeding 40 million; thus, the country’s energy demand will increase notably. In the wake of exponential growth, natural gas is increasingly relied upon to generate electricity for the following reasons:

Enables flexibility when managing demand peaks and low renewables supply

Malaysia’s most recent National Energy Policy aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with a long-term emissions development strategy in the works.

NRG Energy, GE Vernova, and Kiewit’s The Industrial Co.

 formed a joint venture to generate new electricity capacity to fulfill the increasing power demand for advanced computing and generative AI. The joint venture aims to shorten the concept-to-electron timeline, ensuring that electricity generation capacity is quickly brought online to help meet demand.

Initially, the venture will advance four natural gas, combined-cycle power plant projects totaling over 5 GW in the ERCOT & PJM markets. The first 1.2 GW, powered by two 7HA gas turbines, is expected to come online in 2029 under a slot reservation agreement with GE Vernova—the following projects are scheduled to commence operation through 2032. The replicable and scalable model may generate 10-15 GW of future power and expand to other areas across the United States.

Also in February, GE Vernova’s package solution—

—marked the first LM6000VELOX package plant solution in operation globally. It was in 2023 to reduce installation time, by 40%, and costs. The newest upgrades reduce site construction delays. The company announced the South Carolina-based Bushy Park combustion turbine facility, owned by Dominion Energy, kicked off commercial operation on Nov. 1, 2024.

The 1.2-GW Malaysian plant started commercial operation with GE Vernova’s equipment and control system software.

GE Vernova’s HA Combined-Cycle Assets Power Pulau Indah Plant

In our final video from PowerGen 2025 with Jeffrey Benoit, Vice President of Clean Energy Solutions at PSM - a Hanwha company, and Bobby Noble, Senior Program Manager, Gas Turbine R&D – EPRI, the duo talks about the future of and what a decarbonized electric grid may look like, how OEMs are answering the call to create more power to satisfy demand coming from data centers, and availability versus sustainability.

Bobby Noble of EPRI says gas turbines are “well sought after” thanks to data center power demands and shifts in the energy portfolio mix. 

A Decarbonized Electric Grid is a Mix of Gas Turbines, Low-Carbon Fuels, Renewables

TURBO: In 10 years, what may the decarbonized electric grid look like?

 Ten years from now seems like a long time, but it's really not. Many projects take five to 10 years to develop and actually come full circle. It's one of those deals where, 10 years from now, we really need to start today. We're seeing capabilities being extended for utilizing low-carbon fuels, and we are starting to see some of these examples. When we think about the mix and what the future looks like, we have to think about gas turbines, low-carbon fuels, and carbon capture. Still, we also need to think about how renewables will continue to grow—wind and solar— and energy storage options and how those play into the mix. Lastly, nuclear, advanced nuclear, and small modular reactors —all these advancements that we need to be working on and focusing on today must be part of that mix in the future.

Gas turbines are playing an even more crucial role in ensuring the reliability and flexibility of our power-production landscape and portfolio in the United States. When we look at decarbonization on an overall basis, tremendous quantities of renewables are being put in place that can destabilize the grid. And gas turbines can provide that underpinning of reliability. Battery storage will also be very important in handling the microvoltage variations in various parts of the grid. Hydrogen for power production will be enabled mostly by the oil and gas industry. Here we are in Dallas, but right here in Texas, there are tremendous investments by the oil and gas industries and by those moving hydrocarbons, ammonia, and natural gas around. This is where I believe the genesis of the decarbonized power for gas turbines is going to happen.

Check out our first two videos with Jeff and Bobby! 

Gas Turbines are Centerstage in the Energy Future 

Gas Turbines Evolving to Reduce Technical Barriers, But Go-to-Market Challenges Remain

Jeffrey Benoit, Vice President of Clean Energy Solutions at PSM - a Hanwha company, and Bobby Noble, Senior Program Manager, Gas Turbine R&D – EPRI, spoke to

at PowerGen 2025 in downtown Dallas. The duo discussed roadblocks with lower-carbon fuel supply, how technology is not standing in the way of advancing gas turbines in the new energy era, and, as Noble said, “Carbon capture is just another tool in our toolbox” of developing a cleaner energy landscape.

Jeffrey Benoit of PSM says there are no big technical barriers, “it’s a matter of getting these technologies into products and commercially operated gas turbines.”

Gas Turbines Don’t Suffer from Technical Roadblocks, Just To Market 

TURBO: Are there any policy- or technology-related roadblocks for gas turbines during the clean energy transition?

 When we think about roadblocks, there are technical aspects and certain limitations for as-found gas turbines. But then, of course, there's the entire supply chain for the hydrogen. Where is hydrogen or ammonia or other low-carbon/no-carbon fuel coming from? Those are challenges that are being addressed by other parts of the industry. As we focus on the gas turbine itself, it's really just the continual development of capabilities.

 One of the great things that we're focused on is we, from a technology standpoint, don't see any significant barriers. It is simply a just a matter of putting the pedal to the metal and getting these technologies into products, validated, not only in 10th full-pressure, full-condition test rigs but also into gas turbines that are operating in a commercial environment and finding that partner with an operator—that is part of the DNA of PSM. A lot of our capabilities and products have been done with these true innovators looking to put first-of-a-kind types of technology. So, when it comes to fuel flexibility and optionality, this is an area we are very focused on. It's just a matter of focusing on it and getting it done. We know the hydrogen economy; the ammonia economy is coming; we want to be right there and make it as seamless as possible for the end users, particularly those in power, to take advantage of this.

TURBO: How does carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) fit into this developing energy landscape?

 Carbon capture is another tool in our toolbox. So, when we think about options, this is yet another option. As Jeff and some of our other panelists pointed out this morning, as we're looking at 

the role of the gas turbine in the future

, we think about a base-loaded combined cycle unit that may not be the ideal place to utilize hydrogen or ammonia, simply because of the sheer amounts of fuel needed for those gas turbines. So, if this unit is a unit that will be base-loaded, carbon capture can play a crucial role in ensuring that that unit becomes a carbon-free asset that we need for the future. At EPRI, we're doing a lot of work in the space of CCS. We've been involved in a couple of demonstrations, particularly right now a lot of the work full-scale-wise has been around coal units. But we're continuing to move in and looking at opportunities for gas turbines and to continue to push the capabilities there further, so as we see this continuing to progress as in parallel, we're progressing the capability for utilizing low-carbon fuels.

Check out Benoit and Noble's video interview,

 Gas Turbines are Centerstage in the Energy Future

Dean Motl

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