MTU Power Wins Five-Year Petrobras Contract for LM6000 Gas Turbine MRO

MTU Maintenance has signed an exclusive five-year contract with Petrobras to service part of the Brazilian energy company's LM6000 industrial gas turbine (IGT) fleet.¹

The agreement, signed with Petrobras' gas and energy division, covers 10 LM6000 engines and three associated hot sections installed at four sites in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. Maintenance, repair, and overhaul work will be performed at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg in Ludwigsfelde, Germany, with field services delivered locally by MTU Maintenance do Brasil under the network's MTU Power brand.¹

A Longstanding Relationship, Formalized

Petrobras, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, operates one of the larger aeroderivative fleets in Latin America, including roughly 40 LM6000 units and 150 LM2500 units. The new contract extends a working relationship that predates the agreement.¹

"Beyond MTU's extensive IGT expertise, what impresses us most is the consistent flexibility, reliability and professionalism that its people bring to the table. Having access to all of that both overseas and locally is exactly what our operations need," said Liciel Oliveira, technical support manager at Petrobras Gas & Energy.¹

MTU has run its IGT program for 45 years and has completed more than 1,700 shop visits on LM-series gas turbines over that period.¹

Capacity Additions on Two Continents

The Petrobras award lands as MTU builds out IGT capacity in the Americas and at home. The company moved its Sao Paulo operations to a larger site last year, and this summer will occupy a dedicated field service facility in Houston.¹

The Houston site, announced in April, is a level-2 shop intended as a base for field service across the Americas. It also stocks spare parts, serviceable modules, and complete customer engines locally, and gives MTU the ability to perform standardized in-shop repair scopes that it had previously carried out mainly at customer sites. It joins level-2 facilities in Australia, Brazil, and Thailand.²

In Ludwigsfelde, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg is constructing a new maintenance facility sized for a planned 30% increase in shop visit volume.¹

"The contract with Petrobras marks an important milestone in MTU's IGT program and our ambitions for its future. We are adding capacity both home and abroad to meet a growing industry's demand, and MTU's experts are ready to support our partners," said Martin Friis-Petersen, senior vice president of MRO programs at MTU Aero Engines.¹

Why the LM6000 Fleet Matters

Derived from the CF6-80C2 turbofan, the LM6000 is among the most widely deployed machines in the 40-MW-plus aeroderivative class, with more than 1,200 units shipped and roughly 60 million operating hours logged. GE Vernova cites start and operational reliability above 99% and a five-minute fast start, characteristics that suit cycling duty and grid support work.³

For operators running fleets of that size, shop capacity and field response times increasingly drive availability as much as the hardware does, a dynamic reflected in MTU's simultaneous expansion in Berlin-Brandenburg, Sao Paulo, and Houston.

References
1. MTU Power tapped for MRO work on Petrobras LM6000 gas turbines. News release. MTU Aero Engines; July 23, 2026. Accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.mtu.de/newsroom/press/latest-press-releases/press-release-detail/mtu-power-tapped-for-mro-work-on-petrobras-lm6000tm-gas-turbines/
2. MTU Power boosts field service support for gas turbines with Houston location. News release. MTU Aero Engines; April 8, 2026. Accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.mtu.de/newsroom/press/latest-press-releases/press-release-detail/mtu-power-boosts-field-service-support-for-industrial-gas-turbines-with-houston-location/
3. LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine. GE Vernova. Accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.gevernova.com/gas-power/products/gas-turbines/lm6000