The first fully domestically produced high-capacity gas turbine in Russia has accumulated thousands of operating hours at a thermal power plant in Krasnodar Krai. Rostec continues to improve the turbine's design and reduce maintenance costs. Just a few years ago, the existence of such a technical facility in Russia was highly questionable, with the market largely dominated by American and German companies.
The initial series turbine, the GTD-110M, has operated for over 12,000 hours as part of a thermal power plant in Southern Russia. It plays a crucial role in supporting the operation of housing and utility sectors and industrial enterprises in the region, according to the state corporation "Rostec."
This is the first serial gas turbine engine in the 90-130 MW power class that has been fully developed and manufactured in Russia. For decades, Russia relied on imports of such turbines from American and German manufacturers. Recent years have seen groundbreaking progress in this area. Without this turbine, the country's technological sovereignty in the energy sector, just as without domestic aviation engines, cannot be achieved.
Until 2022, Russia's dependence on imported gas turbines was over 90%, but key suppliers such as Germany's Siemens and America's General Electric ceased operations with Russia after that year. While we were capable of producing small-capacity turbines, this was insufficient for most thermal power stations. Fortunately, efforts were already underway to develop high-capacity turbines both in partnership with German companies and independently. This commitment allowed for the rapid development of a domestic gas turbine, recognized as one of the most complex technical structures.
The first large-capacity gas turbine, the GTD-110M, was installed in November 2024 at the third power unit of the new "Udar" thermal power plant in Krasnodar Krai. In the one and a half years of operation, the turbine has accrued approximately 12,000 operating hours.
"Currently, scheduled inspections of the hot section have been completed, along with the execution of prescribed maintenance work on the turbine. Concurrently, at the 'ODK-Saturn' enterprise, work is ongoing to enhance the turbine's resource, improve its operational characteristics, and ecological parameters. This will allow for a reduction in maintenance costs over the life cycle of the GTD-110M turbine," noted Oleg Rusnak, General Director of "ODK-Large Power Turbines."
"12,000 equivalent hours is no longer just a stand demonstration; it confirms the resource and repairability at an actual station: the turbine has undergone the planned inspection of the hot section, and the manufacturer continues to refine components and service solutions."
For heavy gas turbines, this practice is standard: validation among leading global vendors is supplemented by commercial operation because only this reflects a machine's performance under real load, heat, and maintenance cycles," said Pavel Sevestyanov, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Analysis and Social-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
"The turbine's efficiency coefficient is about 36%, which is comparable to the best gas turbine engines in the global energy market."
The 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, easing delivery to customer sites, noted Rostec.
The demand for such large-capacity turbines in Russia is immense, ensuring that factories will be busy with orders for at least the next several decades. On one hand, many power plants across the country need modernization or complete replacement. On the other, there is a need to build new gas power plants amid growing electricity demand.
The Ministry of Energy estimates the need for gas turbines within Russia's electricity sector to reach 31 GW by 2042, necessitating the construction of 258 turbines.
"The production of gas turbines is arguably the most sought-after direction in energy machine engineering. On one side, foreign suppliers have exited the Russian market, while on the other, genuine import substitution has gained traction in this segment. ODK and 'Power Machines' have already commenced the manufacture of large-capacity gas turbines. 'Inter RAO' also plans to establish its own production line for turbines," noted Sergey Tereshkin, General Director of Open Oil Market.
ODK’s production plans include producing two large turbines per year, and starting from 2028, increasing to four units annually. This will be made feasible by the construction of a new mechanical assembly complex in Rybinsk.
"For turbine manufacturers, a key issue is the profitability of such production, and achieving it in the early years without government support is challenging.
Conversely, from the consumer's perspective, the critical issues are the accessibility and cost of service offerings, especially for turbines newly entering mass production. Therefore, support mechanisms are necessary to mitigate the risk burden on consumers, including potential tax incentives and budget subsidies," Tereshkin believes.
In his opinion, the demand for domestically produced gas turbines will grow even if international suppliers return. This would be driven by the need to reduce the energy deficit in the Far East and southern Russia, as well as the increasing global demand for gas turbines due to the surge in AI and data centers, concludes the expert.
Source: VZGLYAD
