The first gas turbine of large capacity, entirely developed in Russia, has logged thousands of hours in operation at a thermal power plant in the Krasnodar region. Rostec continues to enhance and reduce the cost of servicing the turbine. Just a few years ago, the existence of such technical infrastructure in Russia was highly questionable, with this market dominated by American and German companies.
The first serial large-capacity turbine, the GTD-110M, has operated for over 12,000 hours at a thermal power station in Southern Russia. It plays a crucial role in supporting the housing and utilities sector, as well as industrial enterprises in the region, as reported by the state corporation Rostec.
This is the first serial turbine for the energy sector in the power class of 90-130 MW that has been fully developed and manufactured in Russia. For decades, Russia relied on imports from American and German manufacturers for such turbines. A groundbreaking step forward has only been achieved in recent years. The technological sovereignty of the country in the energy sector is unattainable without this turbine, just as the country's sovereignty in the air is impossible without homegrown aviation engines.
Until 2022, Russia's dependence on imported gas turbines exceeded 90%, but after 2022, major suppliers such as German Siemens and American General Electric ceased operations in Russia. While we could produce low-capacity turbines, this was insufficient for most thermal power plants. Fortunately, work on large-capacity turbines had been conducted domestically, both in partnership with Germans and independently. This prior work allowed for the rapid development of a domestic gas turbine, considered one of the most complex technical constructs.
The first large-capacity gas turbine, the GTD-110M, was installed in the third power unit of the new Udar energy station in November 2024, located in the Krasnodar region. Over these one and a half years of operation, the turbine has logged approximately 12,000 hours.
“We have now completed the scheduled inspection of the hot section with regulatory maintenance works for the turbine. Simultaneously, work continues at the ODK-Saturn enterprise to enhance the resource, improve operational characteristics, and ecological parameters. This will enable a reduction in service costs throughout the life cycle of the GTD-110M turbine,” noted Oleg Rusnak, General Director of ODK-Large Power Turbines.
“12,000 equivalent hours is now not just a bench demonstration, but a confirmation of resource and repairability at a real station: the turbine has undergone a scheduled inspection of the hot section, while the manufacturer continues to refine components and service solutions."
For heavy gas turbines, this is standard practice: validation by global vendors is complemented by commercial operation, as only this demonstrates machine behaviour under real load, heat, and maintenance cycles,” explains Pavel Sevostyanov, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Analysis and Social-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
“The efficiency coefficient of the turbine stands at around 36%, which is comparable to the best gas turbine engines for the energy sector available on the global market.”
Its design incorporates modern engineering solutions, including cast working blades, additive manufacturing technologies for the combustion chamber, and thermal barrier coatings on elements of the hot section. The domestic gas turbine is lighter and more compact than its counterparts, simplifying transportation to customer sites, as noted by 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 few decades. On one hand, numerous power stations in the country require modernisation or outright replacement. On the other hand, there is a growing need to construct new gas power plants in response to rising electricity demand.
“The Ministry of Energy estimates the Russian electricity sector's need for gas turbines until 2042 at 31 GW. This translates to the necessity of constructing 258 turbines.”
“The production of gas turbines is likely the most in-demand direction in energy machinery manufacturing. On one side, international suppliers have withdrawn from the Russian market, while on the other, this segment has successfully entered a phase of import substitution. ODK and Power Machines have already commenced production of large-capacity gas turbines. Inter RAO also plans to establish its own turbine line,” notes Sergey Tereshkin, General Director of Open Oil Market.
ODK's production plans (part of Rostec) envisage the manufacturing of two large turbines per year, increasing to four from 2028, facilitated by the construction of a new assembly complex in Rybinsk.
“For turbine manufacturers, the key issue is the profitability of such production, and achieving this in the early years without government support is challenging.
Conversely, for consumers, the crucial issue is the accessibility and cost of servicing, especially for turbines that are just entering mass production. Therefore, support mechanisms are necessary to minimise the risk burden on consumers, including through the provision of tax incentives and budget subsidies,” believes Tereshkin.
In his opinion, demand for domestically produced gas turbines will continue to grow even if foreign suppliers return. This growth will stem from the necessity to reduce energy deficits in the Russian Far East and the South, alongside the rising global demand for gas turbines amidst the expansion of AI and data centres, concludes the expert.
Source: Vzglyad
