Huge advances in heavy-duty gas turbines

From project initiation to prototype grid connection, the entire innovation chain—from ‘principle breakthrough’ to ‘mass production’—has been fully completed. The approval of the demonstration power station project marks the transition of this gas turbine from laboratories and test benches to genuine commercial application. This is the first commercial demonstration power station for the ‘Guo Ran No. 1’ gas turbine. A 300-MW-class F-class heavy-duty gas turbine, operating in combined-cycle mode (gas-steam), generates approximately 450,000 kWh per hour, achieving an energy utilization efficiency approaching 60%. The domestically developed F-class 300-MW heavy-duty gas turbine achieves a net efficiency exceeding 59%, nearing international advanced levels. By comparison, the combined-cycle efficiency of the H/J-class units from the world’s three major manufacturers has already reached 63%–64.5%. There remains a full generation’s technological gap between F-class and H/J-class units. Yet F-class units remain the mainstream models currently in service both domestically and globally; achieving independent control over such mainstream models itself constitutes a formidable challenge. Catching up on technical specifications is merely the surface-level achievement—the true breakthrough lies in establishing a comprehensive, indigenous R&D system and industrial chain. The difficulty of heavy-duty gas turbines has never resided in any single component, but rather in how over 50,000 parts coordinate reliably under extreme operating conditions. Successfully manufacturing one turbine blade does not guarantee that the entire machine will run; and even if the whole machine runs, it does not mean it can operate stably for tens of thousands of hours. China Heavy Gas Turbine Corporation (CHGTC) has built an indigenous R&D system covering design, materials, manufacturing, and testing—establishing, for the first time, a full-chain technical system for independent design, manufacturing, and testing of heavy-duty gas turbines. This means China now possesses not only the product, but also the methodology and capability to produce it. Future development of higher-power or higher-tier gas turbines will no longer require starting from scratch. Moreover, the strategic value of the demonstration power station project extends far beyond validating a single machine. Heavy-duty gas turbines are core equipment in the energy and power sector. Against the backdrop of China’s ‘dual carbon’ goals and the construction of a new-type power system, gas turbines—owing to their rapid start-up and flexible load regulation—are becoming critical peaking power sources supporting large-scale integration of renewable energy. Wind and solar power generation depend heavily on weather conditions; the grid requires backup power sources that can be deployed instantly. Gas turbines are precisely those ‘instantly deployable’ sources. For years, domestic gas turbine units have relied on imports. Purchasing equipment was only the first step—subsequent maintenance, spare parts, and upgrades remained entirely dependent on foreign suppliers. Over its full lifecycle, the operation and maintenance (O&M) cost of a gas turbine often exceeds its initial procurement cost. Without mastery of core technologies, control over the entire lifecycle remains out of reach. Full localization of F-class gas turbines will reduce dependence on imported equipment and technology, thereby safeguarding supply-chain security for energy equipment. The approval and construction of the demonstration power station project is precisely what bridges the final mile—from ‘building it’ to ‘using it’. Viewed more broadly, China’s breakthrough in the F-class heavy-duty gas turbine domain is reshaping the global energy equipment landscape. Earlier, Dongfang Electric’s G50 had already achieved its first complete unit export—the first overseas commercial deployment of a Chinese-developed F-class gas turbine. Domestically, the localization rate of F-class gas turbines has surpassed 85%. CHGTC’s 300-MW-class F-class heavy-duty gas turbine has been branded ‘Guo Ran No. 1’. Its first prototype completed final assembly and rollout, achieved initial ignition, and passed full-load testing. Now, with the demonstration power station project launched in Dongguan, the commercial application of this turbine has officially begun.

China’s first complete export of domestically developed F-class heavy-duty gas turbines: A ‘Industrial Revolution’ delayed by seventy years

On August 28, 2026, in Deyang, Sichuan Province, an F-class 50-MW heavy-duty gas turbine—G50—bearing the ‘Dongfang Electric’ logo rolled steadily out of the factory aboard a transport vehicle, bound for the Zhambyl Region of Kazakhstan. This marks China’s first complete export of a domestically developed F-class heavy-duty gas turbine. The news may appear unremarkable on the surface—but behind it lies the most severe structural shortage the global gas turbine industry has faced in over two decades. In 2025, global gas turbine demand is estimated at 90–100 GW, while annual production capacity of the world’s major manufacturers stands at only 55–60 GW—leaving a supply-demand gap of 30–40 GW. Order backlogs at GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries already extend to 2029–2030. Why now? A dual driver—surging electricity demand from AI data centers and global energy transition—is causing explosive growth in gas turbine demand. In Q2 2026 alone, global gas turbine orders reached approximately 38 GW—the highest quarterly figure ever recorded. Meanwhile, the ‘Big Three’—guided by historical lessons and tacit industry consensus—have adopted a strategy of ‘cautious capacity expansion and profit maximization’. Supply cannot keep pace with demand—and this gap presents a strategic opportunity window for Chinese enterprises. The G50 is precisely the ‘barrier-breaker’ seizing this window. Heavy-duty gas turbines are hailed as the ‘crown jewel’ of the industrial equipment manufacturing sector. F-class units represent the most widely deployed mainstream models globally, operating at temperatures around 1400°C. Their development involves over one hundred complex disciplines—including high-temperature alloy materials, precision casting, and aerodynamic design. For decades, the global market has been dominated by GE, Siemens, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, collectively holding about 85% of market share. China long remained in a position where it could only purchase complete units—even individual high-temperature turbine blades had to be imported. In 2009, Dongfang Steam Turbine Co., Ltd. decided to launch indigenous R&D of an F-class 50-MW heavy-duty gas turbine from scratch. At that time, China had zero prior technical reference. The R&D team learned while designing, tested while iterating—starting literally from a blank sheet of paper. After 13 years and nearly 2 billion RMB in cumulative investment, the G50 was born. Comprising over 20,000 components, it operates at pressures up to 18 atmospheres, with combustion chamber temperatures exceeding 1300°C. It entered commercial operation in 2023 and passed the 2,000-hour full-load commercial operation certification in 2024, achieving a combined-cycle efficiency of 58.2%. This 50-MW turbine represents just one corner of China’s broader F-class gas turbine industrial landscape. Within just three years, China has achieved full-series coverage—from 50 MW to 550 MW—in F-class gas turbines.

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