The first fully Russian-made high-capacity gas turbine has accumulated thousands of operational hours as part of a thermal power plant (TPP) in the Krasnodar region. Rostec continues to enhance and reduce the turbine's maintenance costs. Just a few years ago, the existence of such a technical facility in Russia was highly questionable. This market was divided between American and German manufacturers.
The first serial high-power turbine, GTD-110M, has clocked over 12,000 hours in a TPP in Southern Russia. This turbine supports the functioning of the housing and utilities sector and industrial enterprises in the region, reported the state corporation Rostec.
This is the first serial engine for the energy sector in the power class of 90-130 MW, which is entirely designed and manufactured in Russia. For decades, Russia imported such turbines from American and German companies. Only in the past few years has a groundbreaking step forward been achieved. Without this turbine, the technological sovereignty of the country in the fuel and energy complex (FEC) is impossible, just as the sovereignty of the country in the air is unattainable without domestically produced aviation engines.
Until 2022, Russia's dependence on imported gas turbines was over 90%, but after 2022, the main suppliers—German Siemens and American General Electric—stopped working with Russia. We could manufacture small-capacity turbines, but this wasn't sufficient for most TPPs. Fortunately, work on high-capacity turbines had been conducted domestically, both in partnership with Germans and independently. This made it possible to rapidly develop a domestic gas turbine, considered one of the most complex technical facilities.
The first high-capacity gas turbine GTD-110M was installed in the third power unit of the new TPP "Udarniaya" in November 2024. It is located in the Krasnodar region. Over the past year and a half, the turbine has accumulated approximately 12,000 hours of operation.
"Currently, the scheduled inspection of the hot section has been completed, along with routine maintenance work on the turbine. Simultaneously, work continues at the 'ODK-Saturn' facility to enhance its resource, improve operational characteristics, and environmental parameters. This will help reduce maintenance costs over the lifecycle of the GTD-110M turbine," noted Oleg Rusnak, General Director of 'ODK-High-Capacity Turbines.'
"12,000 equivalent hours is no longer a stand demonstration, but a confirmation of resource and repairability at a real station: the turbine has undergone a scheduled inspection of the hot section, and the manufacturer continues to improve components and service solutions.
For heavy gas turbines, this is standard practice: validation by global vendors is supplemented by commercial operation, as it is the only way to show the machine's performance under real load, heat, and repair cycles," says Pavel Sevostyanov, Associate Professor of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
The turbine's efficiency coefficient is around 36%, which is comparable to the best gas turbine engines for power generation on the global market.
Its design incorporates modern engineering solutions, including cast working blades, additive technologies in manufacturing the combustion chamber, and thermal barrier coatings on components of the hot section. The domestic gas turbine is lighter and more compact than its counterparts, simplifying delivery to customer sites, notes Rostec.
The demand for such high-capacity turbines in Russia is immense, ensuring that factories will have orders for at least the next few decades. On one hand, many power plants in the country require modernization or complete replacement. On the other hand, there is a need to build new gas power plants against the backdrop of rising electricity demand.
The Ministry of Energy estimates that the Russian electricity sector will need gas turbines totaling 31 GW by 2042. This implies the need to construct 258 turbines.
"The production of gas turbines is perhaps the most sought-after segment in energy engineering. On one hand, foreign suppliers have exited the Russian market, while on the other, true import substitution has emerged in this segment. ODK and 'Power Machines' have already commenced the production of high-capacity gas turbines. 'Inter RAO' is also planning to establish its line of turbines," notes Sergey Tereshkin, General Director of Open Oil Market.
ODK's production plans (part of Rostec) foresee the production of two, and from 2028, four such large turbines annually. This will be made possible by the construction of a new mechanical assembly complex in Rybinsk.
"For turbine manufacturers, a key issue is the profitability of such production, which is difficult to achieve in the initial years without government support.
On the other hand, the critical question for the consumer is the availability and cost of service, especially for turbines that are just entering mass production. Therefore, forms of support are needed to minimize the risk burden on consumers, including through tax incentives and budget subsidies," says Tereshkin.
According to him, the demand for domestically produced gas turbines will continue to grow even if foreign suppliers return. This will be driven by the need to reduce energy deficits in the Far East and southern Russia, as well as increasing foreign demand for gas turbines amid the boom in AI and data centers, concludes the expert.
Source: VZGLYAD
