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MHI receives order for 1,600 MW combined cycle plant in Thailand

Wood Group to maintain 7FA combined cycle plant in the US

60% combined cycle efficiency at 85% load

GE supplies combined-cycle system for Russia’s flare gas project

Design and operating considerations for combined cycle plants

Nhon Trach 2 combined cycle power plant goes online in Vietnam

Black Hills Power and Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power seek approval for new generation facility

Asia's first solar combined cycle plant breaks ground in China

TVA dashes for gas

Siemens combined cycle achieves 60% milestone

The Rhode Island State Energy Center, owned by Shell Energy, is a two-by-one combined-cycle gas turbine power plant. 

EthosEnergy Signs O&M Contract for Combined-Cycle Power Plant in Rhode Island 

The first block at the Taiwan power plant provides 1.3 GW of cleaner energy, aiming to replace coal units and reduce emissions while stabilizing the country’s electricity grid.

Hsinta Power Plant Goes Online with GE Vernova’s 7HA.03 to Support Coal-to-Gas Transition

Jeff Moore of SwRI highlights the successful testing of a 10 MWe sCO2 turbine in simple-cycle configuration, initially achieving over 8 MW of gross shaft power and 4 MWe net electric output when synchronized to the grid.

SwRI's STEP Demo Project Advances sCO2 Turbine Technology 

Baker Hughes is set to support Saipem's Eni-led Liverpool Bay CCS Project, enhancing CO2 storage capabilities in the U.K. through advanced compression technology.

Baker Hughes Secures Contract for Carbon-Capture Technology in Liverpool Bay Project

GE Vernova will supply six XPRESS LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine modular packages and an emissions control system to boost Puerto Rico's capacity for peak summer demand and potential emergency power.

GE Vernova Secures Gas Turbine Order to Modernize Puerto Rico's Power Grid

 surveyed its readers about the state of the industry. One recurring challenge in our readers’ responses was labor shortages and skill gaps.

At Tubo Expo 2025, held June 17-18 in Memphis, Tennessee, we asked industry leaders about how they are collaborating with partners and academia, and networking at conferences to build a skilled workforce and address shortages.

Hear insights from Antonio Escamilla Perejon, Client Relationship Manager at ETN Global; Tim Allison, Director of R&D in the Machinery Department of Southwest Research Institute; Dr. Eric Petersen, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M, Angelique Vesey, Senior Director of TEC Strategy & Operations at ASME; and Susan Scofield, VP of Business Operations for North America at Siemens Energy.

Industry leaders discuss strategies—collaborating with academia, partners, and networking—to cultivate a skilled workforce and address labor challenges.

Building a Skilled Turbomachinery Workforce: Collaboration and Innovation

to listen to Ulrich Schmitz, Vice President of Marketing in the Gas and Processing Division at Atlas Copco, discuss pressing issues facing the turbomachinery industry. 

Conference Coverage

Susan Scofield, a co-curator for the Celebrating Women in Turbomachinery program at Turbo Expo 2025, shared her insights on how the industry can and does support women in the industry. Scofield is also the Vice President of Business Operations for North America at Siemens Energy, Vice Chair of the IGTI Strategy Department, and Executive Conference Chair of the Turbo Expo Organizing Committee.

At Turbo Expo 2025, Susan Scofield of Siemens Energy says great role models, mentoring programs, and building networks support women in turbomachinery. 

How Industry Can Support Women in Turbomachinery

How can the industry support and uplift women in turbomachinery?

Going into it, sometimes you fall into a great role model—a great mentor who gives you that boost of courage or just shows you what the future possibility is like. Other times, you have to be intentional around it. We have great opportunities with things like the ASME mentoring program and the Young Student Advisory Committee, which promotes what jobs and careers could look like in turbomachinery. And then sometimes you get lucky with professors like Jackie O'Connor at Penn State, who are just fantastic and do awesome work. You then get a chance to showcase what you've learned and build a bridge into an industry of what the future possibilities could be like for your own career. So, building these networks in the places that do exist—there are places that exist with a lot of great opportunity—is a key to helping the next generation of women and men be fantastic in the turbomachinery industry.

 to hear the biggest challenges for women working in the turbomachinery industry. 

caught up with Dr. Eric Petersen, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M, to hear about the latest updates at its recently opened Propulsion and Energetics Research Laboratory (PERL) and the university’s Energy and Propulsion Research Consortium, a new sister entity to the established Turbomachinery Research Consortium.

Dr. Eric Petersen of Texas A&M says the newly established Energy and Propulsion Research Consortium aims to foster research funding to support research. 

Texas A&M's Plans to Expand the PERL’s Lab Scope, Establishes EPR

We have been building this facility over the last couple of years with support from the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. I am happy to announce that as of May 2025, it is now open for business. Currently, we are in the process of setting up our instrumentation center and diagnostics and control room, as well as testing and conducting shakedown activities for the facility itself. While we are not yet conducting large-scale experiments, we are testing the rooms and various capabilities of the facility in preparation for upcoming larger, more established projects that will be funded in this laboratory. We are very excited about expanding our scope to include high-pressure, energetic, and potentially dangerous experiments, all conducted in a controlled manner within this unique lab space.

Is there anything you want to highlight from a program or research standpoint?

At the Turbomachinery Laboratory, recent collaborations with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M have led to the hiring of several faculty members with expertise in thermofluids, propulsion, and combustion. This represents an area of new growth for us and aligns directly with the recently developed PEARL facility, as well as what we refer to as the Energy and Propulsion Research Consortium (EPRC). The EPRC is a sister entity to the established Turbomachinery Research Consortium (TRC). Our goal is to create a funding mechanism through various industry sponsors to support research projects focused on energy and propulsion, mirroring the successful format we have used for several decades through the TRC.

Texas A&M's Plans to Expand the PERL’s Lab Scope, Establishes EPRC

At Turbo Expo 2025, Michael Smiarowski, Manager Steam Turbine Modernizations at Siemens Energy, shared with Turbomachinery International what’s driving steam turbine modernizations, and how have these drivers have changed in recent years. He spoke about decarbonization efforts impacting steam turbine modernization projects, particularly those regarding efficiency upgrades and fuel flexibility.

steam turbine customers in nuclear are focused on optimizing output and staying carbon-free, and fossil’s focus is reliability and modernization. 

Steam Turbine Modernizations Driven by the Need for Green, More Power, and Reliability 

What are the primary drivers for steam turbine modernizations, and how have these changed in recent years?

Our nuclear customers are really focused on optimizing their output. It starts with a thermal uprate to increase steam production. With that, you need to look at the steam turbine to determine if it can handle the additional steam. Sometimes, you must change out turbine components to support that. The overriding driver for our nuclear customers is the need for additional power, as well as green, carbon-free power generation.

For fossil units, mainly combined-cycle units on the steam side, we're seeing customers whose equipment is reaching 25 years of operation, where they encounter lifetime and reliability issues. They are looking to modernize the turbine to extend its lifespan for another 25 to 30 years, trouble-free. There are obviously options for this; you can continue repairing and maintaining what you have, but that comes with an increasing risk of future problems.

How are decarbonization efforts impacting steam turbine modernization projects, particularly regarding efficiency upgrades or fuel flexibility?

For nuclear plants, any increase in output is a carbon-free contributor to power generation, so that helps our overall greenhouse gas reduction, which a lot of nuclear customers are focusing on right now.

When you talk about the fossil fleet, specifically gas turbines, and even some existing coal-fired steam turbine plants, you run into some challenges. We're involved in working with customers on unique designs to support carbon-capture and sequestration efforts driven by the need to decarbonize, which have been funded by the government. We're taking care of the steam turbine portion. Overall, steam turbine modernization focuses on increasing the efficiency of operating units—increasing efficiency essentially allows you to generate more power with less fuel. So, overall, it helps with the decarbonization focus.

Michael Smiarowski of Siemens Energy said steam turbine customers at nuclear plants focus on optimizing output and staying carbon-free, and fossil’s focus is reliability and modernization. 

Steam Turbine Modernizations Driven by the Need for More (Green) Power and Reliability 

At Turbo Expo 2025, Tim Allison, Director of R&D in the Machinery Department at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), sat down with 

to discuss how SwRI is advancing diagnostics and predictive maintenance to extend the life and improve the reliability of existing turbomachinery, and how decarbonization goals are influencing turbomachinery design in terms of new materials and alternative fluids like hydrogen.

: Tim Allison of SwRI shares how the institute is working to improve turbomachinery reliability and material compatibility of hydrogen and sCO2 oxy combustion

SWRI Says NPSS Turbomachinery Models Can Guide Future Preventive Maintenance to Improve Reliability  

How is SwRI advancing diagnostics and predictive maintenance to extend the life and improve the reliability of existing turbomachinery?

SWRI develops the NPSS software code. It's a numerical propulsion system simulator, which is a thermodynamic tool for modeling gas turbines or turbomachinery and power systems. That code is the industry standard for aerospace gas turbines and has paved the way toward adoption with multiple industrial turbine OEMs over the last few years, and they do actively use that code as the basis for developing digital twins for their models. The NPSS models of turbomachines can be used to track degradation and guide future preventive maintenance efforts for reliability.

We also do a lot of work solving or improving reliability by solving problems in the field. We have a staff that travels with all sorts of instrumentation for processes, as well as advanced optical measurements for vibration and rotating shafts to help diagnose issues in the field and improve reliability.

How are decarbonization goals influencing turbomachinery design at SwRI, particularly regarding new materials and alternative fluids like hydrogen?

SWRI's efforts toward decarbonization technologies are really guided by our clients, so we support a lot of their interests. Right now, we're seeing a lot of interest in technologies like hydrogen, carbon dioxide, supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO

), and industrial applications reducing carbon or effective carbon emissions. Those involve machinery technologies like hermetic machines and really high pressures and temperatures to improve power density and efficiency.

To improve those designs, we incorporate different test rigs that are designed to evaluate the material compatibility of hydrogen or sCO

 oxy combustion at elevated or actual conditions. We also have a number of component test rigs for the components that are needed to support machines in these applications. So, we have different bearing test rigs and seal test rigs that help us to develop components for hermetic machinery at high pressures or high temperatures.

Tim Allison of SwRI shares how the institute is working to improve turbomachinery reliability and material compatibility of hydrogen and sCO2 oxy combustion. 

Welcome to the ninth edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, assistant editor at 

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of May 5, 2025, covers news from GE Vernova Hitachi/GE Vernova, Ansaldo Energia, EthosEnergy, and Baker Hughes.

GE Hitachi Builds SMR, GE Vernova Invests in Saudi Arabia, Ansaldo Forms Nuclitalia, EthosEnergy Signs O&M Contract, Baker Hughes Unveils Flame Tracker

The Province of Ontario and Ontario Power Generation approved the construction phase for GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s 

 at OPG’s Darlington site. Completion is expected by 2030, with three additional SMRs planned for future installation at this location. GE Vernova also announced an up to 

 in Saudi Arabia’s energy transition, partnering with Saudi Electricity Co., ACWA Power, Aramco, and Principal Buyer.

Ansaldo Energia, Enel, and Leonardo founded 

 to study advanced nuclear technologies and market opportunities in Italy’s emerging nuclear industry. The company evaluates mature, environmentally sustainable nuclear power designs for water-cooled small modular reactors. It will conduct technical-economic analyses and outline specific system requirements to select the best possible options and integrate nuclear within Italy.

 for the 850-MW Maisan combined-cycle power plant located near Basra, Iraq. EthosEnergy will oversee plant operations, conduct routine inspections, and perform regular and preventive maintenance on all plant equipment.

Baker Hughes launched an advanced flame-detection technology to prevent damage, hazards, or explosions within gas turbines: 

. It uses improved electronics to enable flame detection in low-light thresholds, so it detects flames accurately in less than 0.025 seconds. This includes low-light conditions like obscured sight tubes, condensation, fouled lenses, and other light-inhibiting factors.

Welcome to the seventh edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, assistant editor at 

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of April 28, 2025, covers news from GE Vernova, ExxonMobil, Ansaldo Energia, and Woodside Energy.

GE Vernova Upgrades AGP XPAND, Supplies Gas Turbines to Duke Energy, ExxonMobil Stores CO2, Ansaldo Energia Builds Plant, Woodside Energy Approves LNG Facility

GE Vernova launched an upgrade for its advanced gas path technology, the 

, designed to improve the power output and incremental efficiency of its 9E.03 gas turbine fleet. The first installation will occur at Taurus Energy’s 1,250-MW Bazyan Power Plant in Iraq. GE Vernova also agreed to deliver 11 7HA gas turbines and related equipment to 

 to accelerate the company’s unspecified power projects across six states.

ExxonMobil will transfer and permanently store up to 2 MTPA of CO

 near Houston, TX. From the cogeneration facility, the carbon will be transported through ExxonMobil’s CO

 pipeline system to support oil recovery applications and deliver a continuous supply of low-carbon electricity and steam along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Ansaldo Energia signed a contract to design, develop, and construct a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant at the 

 in eastern Hungary. Once commercial operation starts, the 1,000-MW CCGT power plant will use its two-block construction to generate 7,500 GWh of electricity per year for Hungary’s power grid.

Woodside Energy submitted the final investment decision to develop its $17.5 billion 

, with first LNG scheduled for 2029. The facility will initially feature three LNG liquefaction trains with 16.5 MTPA total capacity. bp will be the Louisiana LNG project’s integrated 

. Louisiana LNG Gas Management will purchase up to 640 Bcf of natural gas from bp, with deliveries starting in 2029.

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

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

During our visit to PowerGen 2025 in downtown Dallas, 

Jeffrey Benoit, Vice President of Clean Energy Solutions at PSM - a Hanwha company

, and Bobby Noble, Senior Program Manager, Gas Turbine R&D at EPRI, about gas turbine-equipped power plants, hydrogen- and ammonia-fueled 

, and other updates and advancements in the industry.

Jeff Benoit and Bobby Noble discuss the reliability and flexibility of gas turbines and how they satisfy many needs within power generation. 

Gas Turbines are Centerstage in the Energy Future 

TURBO: With increasing renewable energy penetration, how will existing gas turbine-equipped power plants be modified to support an intermittent grid?

 With the increased penetration of renewables, one thing we have to continue to focus on is the resiliency and reliability of the grid. Anytime you put an asset onto the grid that is not dispatchable and to the controls outside of your home, there are challenges. So, one of the things for gas turbines is filling that dispatchable need and being flexible and able to respond.

 For me, my company is responsible for retrofits, conversions, and upgrades for the installed fleet of gas turbines. So, one of the things that we're doing, and being asked for by our customers, is how to improve operational flexibility, how to improve efficiency, how to provide peaking power while maintaining emission compliance. All these technologies that we have can be manifested in products that can be easily dropped into these gas turbines, and you need that resiliency and the ability to modify the operational profile to balance renewables.

TURBO: What role will hydrogen- and ammonia-fired gas turbines play in a decarbonized future? What are the latest developments in these fields?

 Hydrogen and ammonia add to our optionality, which is going to be key as we look at the needs for decarbonization. These fuels act not only as fuel and a potential fuel replacement for gas turbines but also as an energy-storage mechanism. Coupled with energy storage and the energy released at dispatchable opportunities, these will continue to be an avenue to help us have that resilient and reliable future.

 Fuel flexibility with hydrogen, refinery off-gas, or ammonia is just a natural extension of the flexibility inherent in the gas turbines. We are focused on combustion retrofits that allow hydrogen consumption up to 100%. So, think about this: meeting emissions requirements, with the ability to operate on 100% natural gas all the way with a variable blend up to 100% hydrogen—these are products that we've spent years and years developing in our test facility in Germany to make sure that we're not going to cause any issues with the operation of the power plant. Of course, the other side of the equation is where is the hydrogen or ammonia going to come from?

Check out our other two interviews with Jeff and Bobby on 

Turbo Tour of EthosEnergy’s facility in Houston, Performance Center Director Daniel Tegtmeier offered his insights into the growth and evolution of remote monitoring, its advantages and challenges, and how the company seeks to establish partnerships in all things turbine- and plant-related.

Daniel Tegtmeier of EthosEnergy shares how remote monitoring has grown over the past several years and the advantages and challenges of virtual capabilities. 

Remote Monitoring: Growth, Advantages, and Challenges

Q: How has remote monitoring grown and evolved over the past several years? What’s next?

What started as very manual processes has now evolved to mostly automatic and automatically generated monitoring activities. What used to take operators and engineers days to troubleshoot problems is now an automated process via advancements in technology.

Q: EthosEnergy now has full start/stop capability on natural gas-fired power plants. What advantage does this offer your customers?

It’s more than just start and stop in thermal plants; we can start and stop renewable assets as well. Some of the advantages of remote operation are efficiencies. You could streamline the staffing model for intermittent thermal assets. Secondly, our package includes remote monitoring and advanced analytics that’s applied to the remote operation of customer assets, ensuring that they stay competitive in today’s market.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing the power industry as it relates to remote operations?

The biggest challenge is the reluctance to shift operating modes from mostly on-site human presence—operating the plant as designed—to remote facilities that apply humans to asset monitoring.

Q: What are EthosEnergy’s five- to 10-year goals?

The five-year goal is growth. EthosEnergy aspires to be a partner in all things turbine- and plant-related, and it’s not just the power industry. Turbines are used in a host of operations like LNG and oil and gas—we seek to be the largest partner for all those industries in the realm of rotating equipment. We want to increase partnerships and our OEM presence.

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