| Gas turbine developments
New CCGT joint venture targets data centre demand
NRG Energy Inc, GE Vernova, and TIC – The Industrial Company (a subsidiary of Kiewit) have jointly launched a new venture aimed at rapidly bringing new gas turbine based electricity generation capacity to the US market in response to growing demand for computing power and generative AI (GenAI).
The US based venture says it “combines the strengths of a power generation and wholesale company/developer, original equipment manufacturer, and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company to deliver
quality, certainty and speed in powering GenAI capability.”
The partners say they aim “to shorten the concept-to-electron timeline, ensuring that electricity generation capacity is quickly brought online to help meet demand.”
“The growing demand for electricity in part due to GenAI and the buildup of data centres means we need to form new, innovative partnerships to quickly increase America’s dispatchable generation,” said Robert J. Gaudette, Executive Vice President, President of NRG Business and Wholesale Operations. Initially, the venture will work to advance four projects totalling over 5 GW of natural gas fuelled combined cycle power plants for the ERCOT & PJM markets.
The first 1.2 GW is expected to start commercial operation in 2029 with two 7HA gas turbines secured under a slot reservation agreement with GE Vernova, with subsequent projects targeted to come online between 2029 and 2032.
Render of GE Vernova 7HA.03 gas turbine (image: GE Vernova,
gevernova.com)
“The model is replicable and scalable”, say the partners, with the potential for a future pipeline of 10-15 GW and expansion to other areas across the USA.
CCS + CCGT at Connah’s Quay
Uniper has awarded FEED competition contracts to two companies, Technip Energies and Worley, for development of a low carbon combined cycle power station at Uniper’s Connah’s Quay site. The new power station, Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power, would be fitted with carbon capture technology. The FEED phase of the project started at the end of December 2024 and is expected to take around a year to complete. The two contractors will design and submit development plans and compete to be selected as the final contractor for an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract to build the plant. The proposed new power plant would connect into nearby CO2
transport and storage infrastructure as part of the HyNet industrial cluster, enabling the captured CO2 to be
transported to permanent offshore storage facilities in repurposed depleted offshore gas fields.
Uniper is aiming for a potential installed capacity of around 1.1 GW initially, up to a maximum of 1.38 GW low-carbon power, to be developed in two phases.
Worley is working in collaboration with SLB Capturi (a JV of SLB and Aker Carbon Capture) and Siemens Energy, and is proposing Aker’s Big Catch™ modular amine based capture technology.
Technip’s proposed technology, Canopy by T.EN™, is also modularised and amine- based, employing Shell’s CANSOLV capture system.
Model of Baker Hughes gas turbine equipped with new PSM/Thomassen ammonia combustion system. (Photo: Hanwha,
Hanwha.com)
Hanwha Power Systems and Hanwha Ocean have signed a joint development and collaboration agreement with Baker Hughes with a view to the design and production of ammonia fuelled gas turbines. Initially the target market is shipping – with Hanwha planning to complete the development of LNG carriers and container ships using ammonia gas turbine propulsion by 2028 – but other applications could be addressed in the future.
The ammonia gas turbine to be developed through this collaboration will be based upon the proven, small-size turbine technology of Baker Hughes and a newly- developed ammonia combustion system created by PSM and Thomassen Energy, both Hanwha subsidiaries.
The gas turbine will be capable of 100% ammonia combustion, and dual fuel operation with a natural gas and ammonia blend.
Existing, unabated, Connah’s Quay combined cycle power plant. (Photo Uniper,
Uniper.energy)
PSM has successfully completed an initial high-pressure ammonia combustion test campaign and Baker Hughes completed its initial turbine feasibility studies in 2024. The fuel flexible combustion system – able to consume 100% ammonia to 100% natural gas, and any variable blend in between – is being developed by PSM and Thomassen Energy and will be delivered to Baker Hughes for installation into the new gas turbine at their Florence, Italy, factory in 2027. This will be followed by full engine testing with ammonia, after which the turbine (~16MW power range) will be commercially available for orders. One potential early application of the turbine could be an ammonia production or import facility, enabling carbon free power production at the plant and/or electricity delivered into the local grid as dispatchable clean power.
In a land-based application, an SCR system would be needed to meet local air quality requirements but existing SCR technology should be able to easily address this issue. On natural gas, NOx
emissions
are expected to be below 15 ppm, dry, without SCR.
www.modernpowersystems.com | April 2025 | 25
Running on ammonia
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