---

📣 Together With EthosEnergy

As heavy-duty gas turbines approach or exceed their fired factored hours (FFH) or starts (FFS), operators face critical decisions to maintain reliability and performance. With supply chain constraints, material shortages, and aging assets, proactive planning is essential.

EthosEnergy provides tailored rotor solutions that offer cost-efficient, low-carbon alternatives to restore operations faster and reduce downtime. Our five-solution rotor program ranges from life extension of existing rotors to full replacement options, including newly manufactured EthosEnergy rotors, supporting fleets such as Frame 3–9, SGT-600, 251B11–12, 501D5–D5A, FiatAvio, and Westinghouse.

Download our free e-guide to explore proven strategies, available options, and key benefits for extending asset life with confidence.

---

Let’s jump right in!

The Capacity We Cannot Afford to Lose

For the past three years, the power industry has been focused on one question:

How do we build enough new generation to meet growing electricity demand?

Announcements of new gas-fired power plants continue to make headlines. Utilities are revisiting expansion plans. Data centre developers are searching for reliable power supplies. Governments are increasingly concerned about energy security and grid stability. Yet securing new capacity is becoming increasingly difficult. Lead times for new gas turbine units now stretch well beyond 2030 in some cases, with operators required to make substantial pre-payments simply to reserve manufacturing slots. At the same time, costs per kilowatt continue to climb sharply as demand outpaces available production capacity.

Yet beneath the excitement surrounding new capacity lies a less discussed reality.

The industry may be losing existing capacity faster than it can replace it.

The age profile of the global gas turbine fleet highlights the scale of the challenge facing operators worldwide. Across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, a significant portion of the installed fleet is approaching ages that were never anticipated when these units first entered service. Many machines have already exceeded their original design assumptions, while others are operating in duty cycles very different from those envisioned two or three decades ago.

The data underscores this reality. In Africa, the average gas turbine is 15.7 years old, while in Asia the average is 16.3 years. Europe’s fleet averages 21.7 years, Oceania’s 20.8 years, and the Americas have the oldest fleet at an average age of 23.2 years. Looking deeper into the data, half of all gas turbines in the Americas are older than 23 years, while the median age in Europe is 20 years. Even the youngest fleets are maturing, with median ages of 13 years in Africa and 14 years in Asia. At the upper end of the age distribution, 25% of turbines in Europe are older than 28 years, while the 75th percentile reaches 26 years in both the Americas and Oceania.

This challenge is particularly relevant for gas turbine operators. More than 550¹ GW of the currently operating gas turbine fleet is now over 20 years old, representing roughly 27% of installed capacity worldwide. For operators, this means life extension is no longer simply a maintenance consideration, it is increasingly essential to preserving generating capacity, often alongside upgrades that can improve efficiency, flexibility, and operational performance. In many regions, policymakers are taking a more active role in ensuring critical generating assets remain available and operational, viewing fleet reliability and capacity preservation as matters of energy security and national resilience.

At the same time, electricity demand forecasts continue to climb.

The rise of artificial intelligence, data centres, electrification of industry, electric vehicles, and growing cooling requirements is creating demand growth that many power systems have not experienced in decades. In several regions, grid operators are warning that reserve margins are shrinking and dispatchable generation is becoming increasingly valuable.

The result is a collision of two trends:

An aging fleet and growing demand.

The question is no longer whether new capacity can be built. The question is whether existing capacity can be preserved long enough for new capacity to arrive.

A supply Chain Problem That is Not Going Away

The industry has responded aggressively to rising demand.

OEMs have announced manufacturing expansions. New projects are moving through development pipelines. Investments in gas-fired generation are increasing after years of uncertainty.

Yet lead times remain stubbornly long.

Operators continue to report extended delivery schedules for critical components, outages, repairs, and major equipment replacements. In many cases, decisions that previously could be deferred now require years of advance planning.

This situation should not be surprising.

The entire energy and propulsion landscape is competing for the same resources: skilled labor, manufacturing capacity, critical materials, engineering expertise, and specialised supply chains. Power generation is not alone in this challenge. Aviation and marine propulsion sectors are also pursuing ambitious growth, modernisation, and decarbonisation objectives, placing additional demands on many of the same industrial capabilities and supply networks.

Meanwhile, demand is growing across multiple industries simultaneously.

• Data centres require power.

• Transmission projects require equipment.

• Renewable integration requires grid investments.

• Industrial facilities require reliable generation.

Everyone is entering the same queue. The uncomfortable reality is that even if manufacturing capacity doubles tomorrow, the backlog created over recent years will take time to unwind.

Thus, it is fair to say that the industry may have been looking at the problem the wrong way for the past three years. Much of the discussion has focused on rising $/kW costs, extended lead times for new equipment, and the challenge of adding new capacity. Yet the more immediate opportunity lies within the existing fleet. With an installed gas turbine pipeline exceeding 550 GW, the critical question is no longer simply how quickly new generation can be built, but how effectively operators can adapt, upgrade, and extend the assets already connected to the grid. For many operators, preserving and enhancing existing capacity is becoming the most practical path to meeting growing demand.

The Fleet Already Exists

One of the most overlooked assets in the energy transition is the installed gas turbine fleet itself.

• Thousands of machines are already connected to the grid.

• The permitting is complete.

• The transmission connections exist.

• The operational teams are in place.

• The infrastructure has already been paid for.

Anyone involved in navigating these processes on a daily basis understands exactly what this means. In many situations, the quickest way to add capacity is not by building new generation, but by unlocking the potential of assets that already exist. That perspective fundamentally shifts the discussion.

Instead of focusing exclusively on building new assets, operators are increasingly asking a different question: How can we safely extract more value from the assets we already have?

While everyone is focused on the headline-grabbing gigawatts and the most advanced technologies being developed, others are quietly tackling the real problem and delivering solutions to the easiest, most immediate challenges. New capacity and breakthrough technologies will always attract attention, but preserving and maximising the value of assets that already exist can often deliver results faster, at lower risk, and with greater certainty. The industry eventually has to ask itself a difficult question: when will improving, extending, and optimising existing assets be viewed not as a temporary fix, but as one of the best options available?

Extending Life Without Compromising Reliability

Historically, life extension was often viewed as a way to delay capital expenditure. Today, it is becoming a strategic capacity preservation tool.

Operators facing long replacement timelines may find that extending the life of critical components provides valuable flexibility while larger investment decisions mature.

Rotor life extension programs are one example.

Many fleets contain rotors approaching original life limits, yet detailed engineering assessments, advanced inspections, material evaluations, and updated operating assumptions may reveal opportunities to safely extend service life under controlled conditions.

Companies such as EthosEnergy, our partner in this June’s newsletter, along with MD&A and Sulzer, have built significant businesses around rotor life assessment, refurbishment, and life extension programs for aging fleets. In many cases, these programs allow operators to defer major replacement decisions while maintaining confidence in asset reliability and safety.

Similarly, component repair strategies continue to evolve.

Parts that may once have been automatically replaced can sometimes be repaired, refurbished, or upgraded using modern manufacturing and restoration techniques. Organisations such as Liburdi, Sulzer, and Chromalloy have expanded advanced repair capabilities for hot gas path components, while additive manufacturing and advanced welding techniques continue to create new options for restoring high-value parts.

In an environment where replacement components may have long delivery schedules, repair capability becomes a strategic advantage rather than merely a maintenance option.

These approaches are not appropriate for every asset. Nor should they replace rigorous engineering assessments.

But they demonstrate an important shift in thinking. The goal is no longer simply maintaining equipment. The goal is preserving generating capacity.

The Rise of Alternative Support Models

Another trend emerging across the industry is the growing role of independent service providers.

For decades, many operators relied primarily on OEM support models. Those relationships remain essential and will continue to play a major role in fleet management.

However, today’s operating environment is creating demand for additional flexibility.

Independent service providers are increasingly supporting operators through specialised repair capabilities, engineering assessments, rotor life management programs, reverse engineering, manufacturing support, outage services, and technical consulting.

Companies such as EthosEnergy, Hanwha Power, ProEnergy, MD&A, Sulzer, Liburdi, Chromalloy and others (we could only write an article about all the offering) have expanded their offerings well beyond traditional maintenance support. Many now provide turnkey outage services, fleet modernisation programs, controls upgrades, combustion system enhancements, and engineering solutions designed to help operators maximise the value of existing assets.

At the same time, digital capabilities are becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation. Remote monitoring, advanced diagnostics, predictive analytics, and asset performance management tools are helping operators make more informed decisions about maintenance and reliability. While the growing role of digital technologies deserves a deeper discussion in its own right, it is clear that data-driven insights are becoming an important complement to traditional service and engineering support.

In some cases, these organisations provide alternative paths when traditional supply chains are constrained. In others, they supplement existing OEM relationships by helping operators evaluate additional options.

The value of these capabilities becomes particularly evident when time is limited. If a replacement component requires several years to obtain, operators need more than a purchase order.

They need alternatives. As easy as that. 

What about if there is a different way forward?

The industry’s current narrative remains heavily focused on building new generation. That investment is necessary.

The world will require significant amounts of new dispatchable capacity to support economic growth, electrification, and the expanding digital economy.

But there is another reality that deserves equal attention. Every megawatt already connected to the grid represents valuable capacity and, in many cases, can be further increased through power uprates and performance upgrades.

Preserving that capacity may prove just as important as developing new projects. The aging gas turbine fleet should not be viewed merely as a maintenance challenge and it should be viewed as a strategic energy asset.

The operators who succeed over the coming decade may not be those who simply build the most capacity. They may be the ones who become most effective at preserving the capacity they already have.

Because in a world of growing demand, constrained resources, and extended lead times, the fastest megawatt is often the one that is already running.

Looking ahead: The challenges discussed in this article will not be solved by a single organisation or technology. They will require collaboration across the gas turbine ecosystem. Through GasTurbineHub, we remain committed to bringing together stakeholders, sharing industry insights, and highlighting solutions that help the sector navigate an increasingly complex operating environment. Reach out to us.

References: 1. Global Energy Monitor – Oil & Gas Plant Tracker January 2026 (accessed on 01 of June, 2026).

Join the conversation: Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on developments in gas turbine technology and the energy sector.

---

The Latest News in a Snapshot

Intelligence and Insights Reports – Stay ahead

Gas Turbine New Installations

• Blue Energy and GE Vernova Advance Gas-Nuclear Plant

  Blue Energy and GE Vernova plan a 2.5 GW gas-plus-nuclear project in Texas, combining SMRs and gas turbines to accelerate power delivery for AI-driven demand. 
  Source: Blue Energy (05 May, 2026)

• Türkiye’s First HA Plant Enters Service

  ENKA and GE Vernova commissioned Türkiye’s first HA-powered plant, an 852 MW combined-cycle facility in Kırklareli, enhancing efficiency, grid reliability, and energy security.
  Source: GE Vernova (12 May, 2026)

• Mitsubishi Turbines Selected for Cheyenne Power Hub

  Tallgrass and Mitsubishi Power allocated two M501JAC gas turbines for the 1.15 GW Cheyenne Power Hub in Wyoming, supporting data center growth with dedicated natural gas-fired generation.
  Source: Mitsubishi Power (15 May, 2026)

• Siemens Energy Selected for Taiwan Power Project

  Siemens Energy will supply HL-class gas turbines and long-term services for Taiwan’s 2.4 GW Mai-Liao plant, replacing coal capacity and reducing CO₂ emissions by 58%.
  Source: Siemens Energy (26 May, 2026)

• Doosan Enerbility Signs Gas Turbine Service Agreement with Korea Southern Power

  Doosan Enerbility secured a contract to supply seven 380 MW gas turbines for a U.S. data center project, expanding its North American presence and total U.S. orders to 12 units.
  Source: Doosan Enerbility (26 May, 2026)

• Commissioning of First OCGT Plant – Hirwaun Power Station

  Drax completed commissioning of the 299 MW Hirwaun OCGT power station, the first of three planned UK flexible generation assets. The plant features a clutch system enabling synchronous condenser operation, providing grid stability services such as inertia and voltage control alongside rapid-start power generation.
  Source: Drax (29 May, 2026)

Gas Turbine Technology and Market Developments

• Siemens Energy Earnings Release Q2 FY 2026

  Siemens Energy delivered record order levels, driven in particular by strong demand in the U.S., resulting in a record order backlog and broad-based improvements across all key performance indicators compared with the prior‑year quarter.
  Source: Siemens Energy (12 May, 2026)

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries FY2025 Financial Results

  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) announced its consolidated financial results for FY2025, ended March 31, 2026. Order intake in FY2025 rose 20% year-on-year, reaching ¥7.7 trillion. This growth was mainly driven by strong orders for GTCC in North America and Asia. Orders for large frame gas turbines increased significantly from 25 units last year to 35 units in FY2025.
  Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (12 May, 2026)

• GE Vernova’s HA Gas Turbine Fleet Surpasses 4 Million Operating Hours as Global Power Demand Accelerates

  GE Vernova’s HA fleet exceeded 4 million operating hours, reaching 128 units in 21 countries, supporting growing electricity demand, grid reliability, and long-term services growth.
  Source: GE Vernova (26 May, 2026)

Gas Turbine Decarbonisation News

• UK Humber Hydrogen Cluster Seeks Funding Support

  Industry partners including National Gas, Equinor, Centrica, and SSE Thermal advanced plans for a regional hydrogen network supporting production, storage, and hydrogen-fired power generation infrastructure.
  Source: BBC News (26 May, 2026)

---

Gas Turbine Related Events Happening in June