Input Stories

Turbines for gas-powered power plants are in enormous demand these days, especially from data centers (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).

What’s going on: “Utilities and tech giants are locking in orders for the late 2020s. [Gas plant costs have] roughly doubled since mid-2023, largely reflecting more expensive turbines, according to research firm Oxcap.”

• Now, major manufacturers, including GE Vernova, Siemens Energy and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, are considering how much to invest.

Why it’s happening: The Trump administration, which has vowed to “unleash” American energy and lead in artificial intelligence, “sees gas turbines doing the heavy lifting until new nuclear-power plants can come online.”

An elephantine undertaking: “A natural-gas turbine can be bigger than a bus and as heavy, give or take, as a herd of elephants. The discs and blades inside, made to endure temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, spin more than 50 times a second.”

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is likely to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in ramping up U.S. gas-turbine production.
• GE Vernova has plans to put more than $300 million into manufacturing the turbines “as part of a plan to deliver up to 80 heavy-duty turbines a year, up from the recent average of 55.”
• Siemens Energy is boosting turbine production capacity by 30% to 40%.

Mad dash: “The companies that make all the components and materials that go into a gas turbine are scrambling to keep up” with demand.