Contents 20 24 28 30


Front cover: Nhon Trach power plant


site, Vietnam. Units 3&4, employing GE Vernova 9HA.02 turbines, have recently started commercial operation. See p25. Photo: PetroVietnam Power


10


Update: Root causes of the Iberian blackout


A perfect storm of interacting factors


Regulars


04 World news 39 Power plant products 42 Contacts


ENTSO-E has published its final report on the 28 April Iberian blackout, with a focus on root causes, of which many are identified. A key factor was the non-effectiveness of voltage control within the Spanish power system


20


Power plant life extension


Volume 46 | Number 3


Read the latest industry news and updated revised listings of upcoming projects and tenders, sample our definitive energy events listing, delve into the Modern Power Systems archive – and much more besides.


www.modernpowersystems.com


Material may be reproduced only by prior arrangement and with due acknowledgement to Modern Power Systems.


GT replacement transforms ageing assets into high performance power plants Life extension of ageing gas-turbine-based power plants can be achieved cost-effectively by replacing the gas turbine — the core driver of performance and determinant of plant life — with a modern, efficient, and future-ready machine that elevates plant efficiency above original design, ensures compliance with today’s emission and operational standards, and, depending on fit, may increase generating capacity


24


Power plant upgrade


Modernising Thisvi, Damhead Creek and Coryton


Recent combined cycle projects show how to get the best from existing assets


25


© 2026 Business Trade Media International ISSN 0260-7840


Gas power developments


HA for Vietnam; RRPS modular engine; Odessa milestone for Wärtsilä; Portsmouth mega project


26


Grid stability


UD-STATCOM, a “shock absorber” for oscillations Active damping that stabilises the network without expending energy or curtailing generation. This simple idea, with its far- reaching implications, is realised in Ramboll’s Universal Damping STATCOM (UD-STATCOM), patent pending


28


Renewables integration


The hybrid power plant Demonstrating the benefits of an integrated approach to solar, wind and storage


30 Geothermal power


New technologies enhance prospects for geothermal power in the USA


Exergy’s technology at United Downs


34


Power from waste and biomass


Cory’s heat-main plan: how to make it happen


Valmet’s heat recovery technology improves efficiency 36


Cable technology


Ageing well – designing nuclear cables to survive 60 years


www.modernpowersystems.com | April 2026 | 3


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