| Combined cycle
Türkiye’s first HA plant goes commercial
combined cycle power plant, about 20 miles from the border with Bulgaria
Kirklareli is the first deployment of HA gas turbine technology in Türkiye and “represents a significant milestone in the modernisation of the country’s power generation fleet,” says GE Vernova. Under the terms of a multi-year agreement, GE Vernova is also providing long-term maintenance services to “improve asset visibility, reliability, and availability.” “With the successful commissioning of the Kirklareli power plant, ENKA has achieved a significant milestone, strengthening its position as investor in, EPC contractor for, and operator of one of Türkiye’s most efficient combined cycle facilities,” said Mehmet Tara, chairman of the board and president of ENKA.
plant comes as Türkiye continues to modernise its power system to meet rising electricity demand through a more efficient, resilient, and diversified generation mix. Natural gas based power generation in Türkiye has expanded significantly over the past two decades and today represents a key part of the country’s energy mix, supplying more than a quarter of its electricity. scope included a 9HA.02 gas turbine with H78 generator, an STF-D650 steam turbine, and a triple-pressure heat recovery steam generator. All EPC and commissioning works were executed by ENKA’s in-house teams, amounting to approximately 8 million person-hours of effort over a 36 month execution period. The
most efficient combined cycle gas fired power plants in the country, achieving above 63% net efficiency in combined-cycle mode. The project brings GE Vernova’s total installed gas fuelled generating capacity in Türkiye to some 13.5 GW.
HA surpasses 4 million hours As of 26 May, the HA gas turbine fleet as a whole, including Kirklareli, had surpassed 4 million operating hours worldwide, with 128 units operating in 21 countries totalling 74
GW.The first HA unit entered commercial operation in 2016. GE Vernova says its HA gas turbines were developed in the context of a fundamental shift in the global power sector, involving the replacement of coal fired plants with more efficient, lower-emission, and flexible power while enabling greater renewables integration. That role is becoming increasingly important, GE Vernova argues, as “electrification, industrial expansion, and rising demand from data centres and AI drive sustained pressure on power systems worldwide.” In this environment, GE Vernova says it is seeing continued demand for gas power technologies as customers prioritise solutions that can be deployed at scale, operate efficiently and support grid reliability. As the installed HA fleet continues to expand, GE Vernova also sees growing services opportunities as customers seek to maintain performance, availability and operating flexibility across the lifecycle of the assets.
The HA has enjoyed considerable success in the US market, with Duke Energy, for example, securing 20 machines, several of which are included in a framework agreement executed in 2025. A number of other ‘traditional’ US utilities have also entered into significant, multiunit HA agreements. Beyond traditional customers, “a new, non- utility customer archetype is emerging from data centres,” GE Vernova notes. This includes hyperscalers and other datacentre project developers, which represent approximately 20% of total HA gas turbine contracts. In the UK, GE Vernova is supplying a 9HA.02 gas turbine for the NZT Power project (see pp 24-25), expected to be the world’s first commercial-scale gas-fired power station equipped with carbon capture technology. The gas turbine is expected to be shipped from GE Vernova’s manufacturing centre in Belfort, France, in June 2026.
Simple-to-combined-cycle conversion in Iraq
Image: ENKA
ENKA says it continues its work at full pace on the Bazian II power plant conversion project (pictured) in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, under an EPC turnkey contract. Upon completion, the existing simple cycle
Kirklareli combined cycle power plant, Türkiye. Image: ENKA
power plant, with an installed capacity of approximately 490 MW, will be converted into a high-efficiency combined cycle power plant with a total capacity of 740 MW. The project scope includes the integration of one steam turbine, two heat recovery steam generators, and one air-cooled condenser. Progressing in line with international quality and safety standards, the project reached 42% completion in excavation and backfilling works and 20% in structural concrete works as of the end of March 2026. Procurement activities have reached a commitment level of 37%, while engineering progress stands at 36%. Overall project progress is 24%.
www.modernpowersystems.com | May/June 2026 | 27
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