Major foreign manufacturers of modern gas turbine engines. Our goal is to launch the production of Russian gas turbines Russian-made turbines

The difficult international situation is forcing Russia to speed up import substitution programs, especially in strategic sectors. In particular, in order to overcome dependence on imports in the energy sector, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation are developing measures to support domestic turbine construction. Are Russian manufacturers, including the only specialized plant in the Ural Federal District, ready to meet the growing demand for new turbines, the RG correspondent found out.

At the new CHPP "Akademicheskaya" in Yekaterinburg, a turbine manufactured by UTZ is operating as part of the CCGT unit. Photo: Tatiana Andreeva / RG

Pavel Zavalny, Chairman of the State Duma Energy Committee, notes two main problems of the energy industry - its technological backwardness and a high percentage of wear and tear of the existing main equipment.

According to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, in Russia over 60 percent of power equipment, in particular turbines, has developed its park resource. In the Ural Federal District, in Sverdlovsk region there are more than 70 percent of such, however, after the commissioning of new capacities, this percentage has slightly decreased, but still there is a lot of old equipment and it needs to be replaced. After all, energy is not just one of the basic industries, responsibility is too high here: imagine what will happen if you turn off the light and heat in winter, ”says Yuri Brodov, head of the Turbines and Engines Department of the Ural Energy Institute of the Ural Federal University.

According to Zavalny, the fuel utilization rate at Russian CHPPs is slightly above 50 percent, and the share of CCGT units considered to be the most efficient is less than 15 percent. It should be noted that the CCGT was commissioned in Russia in the last decade - exclusively on the basis of imported equipment. The situation with Siemens' arbitration claim regarding the allegedly illegal supply of their equipment to the Crimea showed what a trap it was. But it is unlikely that it will be possible to solve the problem of import substitution quickly.

The fact is that while domestic steam turbines have been competitive enough since the times of the USSR, the situation with gas turbines is much worse.

When the Turbomotor Plant (TMZ) in the late 1970s and early 1980s was tasked with creating a 25 megawatt power gas turbine, it took 10 years (three samples were made, requiring further refinement). The last turbine was decommissioned in December 2012. In 1991, the development of an energy gas turbine began in Ukraine; in 2001, RAO "UES of Russia" somewhat prematurely made a decision to organize serial production of the turbine at the site of the "Saturn" company. But the creation of a competitive machine is still a long way off, ”says Valery Neuymin, Candidate of Technical Sciences, who previously worked as Deputy Chief Engineer of TMZ for new equipment, in 2004-2005 - the developer of the concept of technical policy of RAO UES of Russia.

Engineers are able to reproduce previously developed products, on the creation of fundamentally new speech does not go

It's not only about the Ural Turbine Plant (UTZ is the successor of TMZ. - Ed.), But also about other Russian manufacturers. Some time ago on state level it was decided to buy gas turbines abroad, mainly in Germany. Then the factories curtailed the development of new gas turbines, for the most part switched to the manufacture of spare parts for them, - says Yuri Brodov. - But now the country has set a task to revive the domestic gas turbine building, because it is impossible to depend on Western suppliers in such a responsible industry.

In recent years, the same UTZ has been actively involved in the construction of steam-gas units - it supplies steam turbines for them. But together with them, gas turbines of foreign production are installed - Siemens, General Electric, Alstom, Mitsubishi.

Today in Russia there are two and a half hundred imported gas turbines - according to the Ministry of Energy, 63 percent of them total... To modernize the industry, about 300 new machines are required, and by 2035, twice as many. Therefore, the task was set to create worthy domestic developments and put production on stream. First of all, the problem is in high-power gas turbine plants - they simply do not exist, and attempts to create them have not yet been crowned with success. So, the other day the media reported that during the tests in December 2017, the last sample of the GTE-110 collapsed (GTD-110M - a joint development of Rusnano, Rostec and InterRAO).

The state has high hopes for the Leningrad Metal Plant (Power Machines) - the largest manufacturer steam and hydraulic turbines, which also has a joint venture with Siemens for the production of gas turbines. However, as Valery Neuymin notes, if initially our side in this joint venture had 60 percent of the shares, and the Germans had 40, today the ratio is reversed - 35 and 65.

The German company is not interested in the development of competitive equipment by Russia - this is evidenced by the years of joint work, - Neuimin expresses doubts about the effectiveness of such a partnership.

In his opinion, to create own production of gas turbines, the state must support at least two enterprises in the Russian Federation so that they compete with each other. And you shouldn't develop a high-power machine right away - it is better to first bring to mind a small turbine, say, with a capacity of 65 megawatts, work out the technology, as they say, get your hands on and then move on to a more serious model. Otherwise, the money will be thrown into the wind: "it's like instructing an unknown company to develop spaceshipbecause a gas turbine is by no means an easy thing, "the expert states.

As for the production of other types of turbines in Russia, not everything is smooth here either. At first glance, the capacities are quite large: today only UTZ, as the company informed "RG", is capable of producing power equipment with a total capacity of up to 2.5 gigawatts per year. However, it is possible to call the machines produced by Russian factories new rather conditionally: for example, the T-295 turbine, designed to replace the T-250 designed in 1967, does not fundamentally differ from its predecessor, although a number of innovations have been introduced into it.

Today, turbine designers are mainly engaged in "buttons for a suit," says Valery Neuymin. - In fact, now there are people at the factories who are still able to reproduce previously developed products, but there is no talk of creating a fundamentally new technology. This is a natural result of perestroika and the dashing 90s, when industrialists had to think about just surviving. To be fair, we note: Soviet steam turbines were extremely reliable, the multiple safety factor allowed the power plants to operate for several decades without replacing equipment and without serious accidents. According to Valery Neuymin, modern steam turbines for thermal power plants have reached the limit of their efficiency, and the introduction of any innovations in existing designs will not dramatically improve this indicator. And so far, one cannot count on a quick breakthrough by Russia in gas turbine construction.

In Russia, on behalf of the President, the government is preparing a large-scale program for the modernization of thermal power plants (TPPs), which is estimated at 1.5 trillion rubles and can start in 2019. One of its main conditions will be the use of Russian equipment. Is it possible to renew the electric power industry at the expense of domestic developments, about the development of new turbines, export potential and the necessary state support in an interview with the Prime agency? general director "Power Machines" Timur Lipatov, who headed the company three months ago.

- What is Power Machines focused on now? Will you work mainly for the thermal power industry because of the upcoming program for its modernization?

For anyone. We cannot neglect any niche, the industry does not better position: Markets are shrinking, competition is increasing. Therefore, we make almost the entire range of equipment for nuclear, thermal and hydropower.

- What demand from Russian power companies is Power Machines ready for under the program of modernization of thermal power plants?

In the first competitive selection for modernization, projects with a total capacity of 11 GW will be selected, first of all, it will be the reconstruction of our traditional steam power equipment. Our production capacity allows us to produce up to 8.5 GW of turbine equipment per year, the same volume of generators, about 50 thousand tons of boiler equipment.

We have well-developed projects for modernization of turbines K-200 and K-300, we have a project for modernization of K-800. These projects allow you to increase power, efficiency, extend the resource, flexibly respond to what the client needs. But the program is not limited only to condensing units (that is, generating electricity - ed.) With a capacity of 200 and 300 MW, therefore we are concentrating on the PT-60 and PT-80 cogeneration turbines. Their design has been revised, including, we are improving the design of the body part and steam distribution. In parallel, solutions were developed for the replacement and modernization of third-party turbines. First of all, we are talking about the machines of the Kharkov Turbine Plant.

- It is planned to include a norm on 100% localization of production in Russia in the program of modernization of TPPs necessary equipment... Aside from gas turbines, what equipment is still to be localized?

In my opinion, the only problem in the production of generating equipment in Russia is large-scale casting and the production of large forgings (a metal blank obtained as a result of forging or hot stamping - ed.).

Historically, there were three manufacturers of cast billets in the USSR, two of which - in the Urals and St. Petersburg - were closed. foundry... As a result, Russia remained sole supplier, which does not always provide required quality, and we are forced to purchase large-sized cast billets abroad, where their quality is more stable. We believe in the potential of Russian metallurgical enterprises, we believe that with appropriate government support and the appearance of guaranteed demand, they will be able to restore competencies and provide power engineering with high-quality cast billets and forgings. This is a parallel process, it is part of the TPP modernization program, although it may not be on the surface right now.

- Power Machines announced plans to develop a domestic high-power gas turbine. Are you discussing partnership with Russian or foreign companies?

The basic option is the independent development of gas turbines, since the localization, which any foreign company, it is, as a rule, localization "by hardware". We see our task not in repeating the production of an outdated foreign model of a gas turbine in Russia, but in restoring the domestic school of gas turbine construction.

Our final goal - to restart the gas turbine production cycle by organizing a design bureau, creating calculation methods, a bench base, and thereby protecting the Russian energy industry from various negative external manifestations.

- What is the share of gas turbines of foreign manufacturers in Russia?

According to our estimates, if we take the operating combined-cycle (CCGT) and gas turbine units (GTU), more than 70% are supplies from foreign manufacturers, another 24% are gas turbines manufactured by Interturbo (a joint venture of the Leningrad Metal Plant created in the 90s and Siemens).

At the same time, despite the presence of joint ventures, the production of the most significant elements of gas turbines is not localized in Russia - components of the hot path (fuel combustion chambers, turbine blades - ed.) And control systems. Production is limited only to the assembly and manufacture of individual units, which are not critical for the operability of the gas turbine unit and the energy security of Russia as a whole.

- What line of gas turbines "Power Machines" would like to produce?

We start with 65 MW F-class and 170 MW E-class machines. In the future, it is planned to create a 100 MW high-speed turbine with a free power turbine. Subsequently, it is possible to develop a 300-400 MW F or H-class gas turbine unit for 3000 rpm using the principles of scaling for some of the components.

- If Power Machines will independently develop the turbine, at what production site?

Here, at our production facilities in St. Petersburg.

- How much do you generally estimate R&D costs? What are the costs of starting up industrial production? And how long can it take?

We estimate the entire project for 65 and 170 MW machines at 15 billion rubles. This amount includes the costs of R&D and technology development, development and re-equipment of design and technological services, modernization of the experimental research and production base. Production will be ready for the production of prototype turbines in two years.

- Why do you think that you will be able to develop a turbine? In Russia, other companies have many years of experience with failed attempts.

At one time we were in the trend for gas turbines. The first such machine with a capacity of 100 MW was made at LMZ (Leningrad Metal Plant, part of Power Machines - ed.) In the 60s. And it fully corresponded to the technologies of that time. This groundwork, unfortunately, was lost during the perestroika period. This area of \u200b\u200bpower engineering in the world has become so technologically advanced, has gone so far that in the 90s more in a simple way its restoration was the acquisition of the right to use intellectual property and the localization of production in Russia. As a result, in the 1990s, in partnership with Siemens, LMZ created a joint venture "Interturbo", from which a modern STGT grew (a joint venture between Siemens and Power Machines - ed.). Equipment production was located at LMZ facilities and reached an honest 50% localization. As part of Interturbo, we have gained experience in the production of gas turbine components, which is highly correlated with our current work.

In the recent past, Power Machines independently, no longer within the framework of a joint venture, implemented a project for the development and production of a gas turbine GTE-65 with a capacity of 65 MW. The machine went through a full cycle of cold tests, reached the so-called "full speed, no load" tests, but due to the lack of an experimental TPP for testing and running the technology, it was not put into commercial operation.

- What, in your opinion, will facilitate the rapid development of gas turbine production technology in Russia?

I will name three fundamental factors. The first one is preferences in the development of production of Russian gas turbines within the framework of the TPP modernization program. We believe that this goal has been achieved thanks to a reasonable dialogue between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Energy. We hope that as part of the subsequent selection of projects for participation in the modernization program, the restrictions on the maximum capital costs for projects using domestic gas turbines will be removed. This will make facilities with domestic gas turbines more attractive for investments.

The second factor is the possibility of construction by Power Machines, independently or with a partner, of experimental TPPs with a total capacity of 1.4 GW within the framework of the KOM NGO mechanism (guarantees investors the return on investment of new power plant construction projects due to increased payments consumers for power - ed.). This is necessary in order to bring the prototypes of gas turbines to readiness for commercial operation and to obtain the necessary experience and competence for all possible implementations - single-shaft, twin-shaft and three-shaft CCGT units for gas turbines of all types.
And thirdly, the prompt release of government decree No. 719 (amendments to the decree governing the localization of production in the Russian Federation - ed.), Which will put all manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, on equal terms.

- As part of the TPP modernization program, do you expect to conclude contracts not only for specific power plants, but also for companies, perhaps for the entire duration of the program?

Of course, we are interested in long-term cooperation, but within the framework of the modernization program, the generating companies themselves will only have to participate in competitive selections.

At the same time, from my point of view, the conclusion of such long-term contracts is a normal practice that will allow us to plan production program and do not let contractors down on time if their projects are selected.
The main discussions now concern framework agreements for repair and service maintenance and the supply of spare parts. Evaluating annual and three-year plans for repair campaigns, we, as a rule, see the potential to reduce the cost of spare parts and services provided by up to 15% due to the alignment of production schedules.

- What kind of discussions are underway, are there any obstacles to the development of the service direction?

The main obstacle to development is " garage production". In the Soviet Union, drawings were often in free circulation; in the 90s, insufficient attention was paid to the protection of intellectual property. It is not surprising that this resulted in a huge number of fly-by-night companies, where people in artisanal conditions, literally in the garage, produce obsolete spare parts. with deviations from the formular dimensions, non-conformity of materials in terms of physical and mechanical characteristics.

We receive a large number of requests from consumers with a request to agree on certain deviations in the working documentation from the original design during repairs. I see serious risks in this, since the reason for the failure of our equipment may be the use of a non-original spare part made with deviations. There are few serious players who can ensure the proper timing and quality of work.

- How big is the problem of counterfeit products?

The market is filled with non-original spare parts, including counterfeit ones. We are working to protect our technology, return intellectual property and prohibit its use by other players using the opportunities that the civil and criminal codes give us. They did not bear the cost of R&D (research and development work - ed.), Do not guarantee quality, damage our reputation. We count on support in this matter from Rostechnadzor, as well as other manufacturers.

- In the medium term, will the company focus on the domestic market or foreign projects? Which countries are you primarily considering for work? What technologies are in demand abroad?

- Power Machines has a great export and technological potential. The main share of our projects abroad now is either nuclear and hydraulic, where we compete on equal terms with global manufacturers, or steam power units (reconstruction of previously supplied machines, production of equipment for burning such types of fuel, for example, as fuel oil and crude oil). The share of exports varies, but averages around 50%.

To increase exports, we must master two fundamentally important technologies that are not currently available in Russia. First, to restore the production of domestic gas turbines of medium and large capacity. Secondly, to make a pulverized coal boiler and a steam turbine for super-supercritical steam parameters (SSCP). Existing technologies make it possible to achieve sufficiently high efficiency of 45-47% on steam turbines operating at the SSCP. This is a reasonable alternative to the combined cycle, given the relatively low cost of coal, and often because of the lack of gas in the region. We have already developed design documentation for an SSCP turbine with a capacity of 660 MW and are ready to launch it into production as soon as an order appears.

In order for new products to be in demand abroad, one must first manufacture and introduce them on the home market, in Russia. The presence of references will allow us to enter our traditional markets - in Asia and Latin America, in the Middle East. One of the ways to get required competencies - construction of experimental stations within the framework of the KOM NGO mechanism. In addition, government support is needed - through intergovernmental agreements, with the involvement of export financing, and concessional lending. This was done in the Soviet Union, as our competitors abroad are doing now.

- What other directions of the company's development do you see?

One of the areas will be to support small technology companies. There are a huge number of startups on the market that are complementary to our technology chain and sales channels. We intend to actively support the development of such companies by entering into their equity capital, financing R&D and technologies, and guarantees. The transfer of control will allow shareholders to generate significantly more revenue through increased sales and expansion of their channels. I ask everyone to consider this an official invitation, we will be happy to consider the proposals. There are already examples of such successful interaction.

Such an industry, as for different purposes, refers to the type of mechanical engineering that produces goods with high added value. Therefore, the development of this direction is consistent with the priorities of the leadership of our country, which tirelessly declares that we need to "get off the oil needle" and actively enter the market with high-tech products... In this sense, the production of turbines in Russia may well become one of the drivers of the domestic economy, along with the oil and other types of extractive industries.

Manufacturing of all types of turbines

Russian manufacturers produce both types of turbine units - for power engineering and transport. The former are used to generate electricity at thermal power plants. The second are supplied to enterprises aviation industry and shipbuilding. A feature of turbine production is the lack of specialization of factories. That is, the same enterprise produces, as a rule, both types of equipment.

For example, the St. Petersburg Production Association "Saturn", which began in the 50s with the production of only power machines, later added gas turbine units for sea vessels to its range. And the plant "Perm Motors", which initially specialized in the manufacture of aircraft engines, moved on to the additional production of steam turbines for the power industry. Among other things, the lack of specialization speaks of broad technical capabilities our manufacturers - they can produce any equipment with quality assurance guarantees.

Turbine production dynamics in the Russian Federation

According to BusinesStat, the production of turbines in Russia increased by about 5 times from 2012 to 2016. If in 2012 the enterprises of the industry produced a total of about 120 units, then in 2016 this figure exceeded 600 units. The increase was mainly due to the growth of power engineering. The dynamics were not affected crisis phenomena and, in particular, the appreciation of the exchange rate.

The fact is that turbine plants practically do not use foreign technologies and do not need import substitution. In the manufacture of turbine equipment, only our own materials and equipment are used. By the way, this is an additional point that makes this area a competitor to the oil industry.

If oilmen need foreign technologies to develop new oil fields and, especially, the Arctic shelf, then the manufacturers of gas turbine units get by with their own developments. This reduces the cost of manufacturing turbines and, accordingly, reduces the cost, which in turn improves the competitiveness of our products.

Cooperation with foreign manufacturers

The above does not mean at all that our manufacturers are pursuing a closed policy. On the contrary, the trend recent years is the strengthening of cooperation with foreign vendors. The need for this is dictated by the fact that our manufacturers are not able to organize the production of gas turbines of increased power. But such flagships as some European companies have the necessary resources. The pilot project was the opening of a joint venture between the St. Petersburg plant "Saturn" and the German firm Siemens.

Yes, cooperation with distant partners in the field of turbine production is increasing, which cannot be said about cooperation with close subcontractors. For example, due to the events in Ukraine, our manufacturers have practically lost ties with the Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkov production associations, which have been supplying components since Soviet times.

However, here, too, our manufacturers succeed in solving problems positively. So, at the Rybinsk Turbine Works in the Yaroslavl Region, which produces power plants for ships of the Russian Navy, they switched to the production of their own components instead of those that had previously come from Ukraine.

Changes in market conditions

Recently, the structure of demand has changed towards the consumption of low-power devices. That is, the production of turbines in the country has intensified, but more low-power units have been produced. At the same time, an increase in demand for low-capacity products is noted both in the energy sector and in transport. Low power plants and small vehicles are popular today.

Another trend in 2017 is the increase in steam turbine production. This equipment, of course, is inferior to gas turbine units in functionality, but it is preferable in terms of cost. These devices are purchased for the construction of diesel and coal power plants. These products are in demand in the Far North.

In conclusion, a few words about the prospects for the industry. According to experts' forecasts, the production of turbines in Russia will grow to 1,000 products per year by 2021. All the necessary prerequisites are seen for this.

A gloating article appeared in the Western press that the construction of new power plants in Crimea actually stopped due to Western sanctions - after all, we seem to have forgotten how to make turbines for power plants ourselves and bowed to Western companies, which are now forced to wind down their deliveries and thus leave Russia without turbines for energy.

"The project envisaged that Siemens turbines would be installed at the power plants. However, in this case, this German engineering company risks violating the sanctions regime. Sources say that in the absence of turbines, the project faces serious delays. Officials Siemens have always said that they do not intend to implement supply of equipment.
Russia studied the possibility of acquiring turbines from Iran, making changes to the design for the installation of Russian-made turbines, as well as using Western turbines previously acquired by Russia and already located on its territory. Each of these alternatives poses specific challenges, which, according to sources, prevents officials and project leaders from agreeing on how to move forward.
This story demonstrates that, despite official denials, Western sanctions still have a real negative impact on the Russian economy. It also sheds light on the decision-making mechanism under Vladimir Putin. We are talking about the propensity of high-ranking officials, according to sources close to the Kremlin, to make grandiose political promises that are almost impossible to implement. "

"Back in October 2016, the company representatives at a briefing in Munich said that Siemens excludes the use of its gas turbines at TPPs in Crimea. We are talking about gas turbines that are produced in Russia at the Siemens gas turbine technology plant in St. Petersburg, which was put into operation in 2015. The shares in this company are distributed as follows: Siemens - 65%, Power Machines - beneficiary A. Mordashov - 35%. The plant is to supply Technopromexport with 4 combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) with a capacity of 235 MW with gas turbines in 160 MW, and in the contract signed in the spring of 2016 the TPP in Taman is indicated. "

In fact, it so happened that since the times of the USSR, the production of gas turbine plants for power plants was concentrated at 3 enterprises - in the then Leningrad, as well as in Nikolaev and Kharkov. Accordingly, during the collapse of the USSR, Russia was left with only one such plant - LMZ. Since 2001, this plant has been manufacturing Siemens turbines under license.

“It all started in 1991, when a joint venture was created - then LMZ and Siemens - to assemble gas turbines. An agreement was signed on the transfer of technologies to the then Leningrad Metal Plant, which is now part of OJSC Power Machines. joint venture 19 turbines were assembled in 10 years. Over the years, LMZ has accumulated production experience in order to learn how to not only assemble these turbines, but also make some components on their own. Based on this experience, in 2001 a licensing agreement was concluded with Siemens for the rights of production, sales and after-sales service turbines of the same type. They received the Russian marking GTE-160 ".

It is not clear where their developments, which were successfully produced there during the previous 40 years, have gone. As a result, the domestic power engineering industry (gas turbine engineering) was left behind. Now I have to begging abroad in search of turbines. Even in Iran.

"The Rostec corporation has agreed with the Iranian company Mapna, which produces German gas turbines under Siemens license. Thus, gas turbines manufactured in Iran according to the drawings of the German Siemens can be installed on new power plants in Crimea."

Kremensky Sergey © IA Krasnaya Vesna

According to Russian and foreign media reports, in December 2017 at the Saturn plant in Rybinsk, a 110 MW gas turbine did not pass its service life tests.

Foreign media, in particular Reuters, citing their sources, stated that the turbine had collapsed and could not be restored.

At the Russian International Energy Forum, which took place at the end of April 2018, the head of Gazprom Energoholding Denis Fedorov said even more radically that the development of a domestic high-power gas turbine should be abandoned: "It is pointless to practice with this further."... At the same time, he proposes to completely localize foreign turbine production, that is, to buy the plant and licenses from Siemens.

I remember the cartoon "Flying Ship". The Tsar asks the boyar Polkan if he can build the Flying Ship, in response he hears: "Buy!".

Who's going to sell? In the current political environment of the "war of sanctions" no Western company will dare to sell the plant and technology to Russia. Yes, even if he sells, it is high time to learn how to make gas turbines at domestic enterprises. At the same time, the media are publishing a completely adequate position of an unnamed representative of the United Engine Corporation (UEC), which includes the Rybinsk plant "Saturn". He thinks that "Difficulties during the tests were expected, this will affect the timing of completion of the work, but is not fatal for the project".

For the reader, we will explain the advantages of modern combined-cycle plants (CCGT), which are replacing traditional large thermal power plants. In Russia, about 75% of electricity is generated by thermal power plants (TPP). To date, more than half of thermal power plants use natural gas as fuel. Natural gas can be immediately burned in steam boilers and, using traditional steam turbines, generate electricity, while the fuel energy utilization rate for electricity generation does not exceed 40%. If the same gas is burned in a gas turbine, then the incandescent exhaust gas is sent to the same steam boiler, then steam to the steam turbine, then the coefficient of fuel energy use for electricity generation reaches 60%. Typically, one combined cycle plant (CCGT) uses two gas turbines with generators, one steam boiler and one steam turbine with a generator. With the combined production of electricity and heat at one power plant, both CCGT and conventional CHP, the fuel energy utilization factor can reach 90%.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, work on the serial production of high-power gas turbines was discontinued in Russia due to fierce competition from western companies and absence state support promising developments.

A situation arose similar to the civil aviation industry and other branches of mechanical engineering.

However, not everything is so bad, in 2004-2006 a single order for two GTD-110 gas turbines for Ivanovskiye CCGT units was completed, but this order was not profitable for the Rybinsk plant, it was not profitable. The fact is that during the manufacture of the first turbines GTD-110 according to the project of the Mashproekt Institute (Nikolaev, Ukraine), it was not possible to place an order in Russia for the forging of the central part of the turbine, since special melting metal was required, and such a steel grade was several years no one ordered, and Russian metallurgists broke the price many times higher than in Germany or Austria. Nobody promised the plant orders for a series of turbines. The production planning horizon for 2-3 years did not allow the Rybinsk plant to master the technology of serial production of GTD-110 back in 2004-2006.

Since 1991, Russia has adopted a strategy of entering the common European home, the market, and in the logic of this market there was no point in developing its technologies from a lower position. And the mechanism of competitive bidding, applied by directives at the main customer - RAO UES of Russia, led to the victory of Western competitors. The essence of the mechanism is a formal one-stage open tender, without any preferences for russian manufacturers... No self-respecting country in the world affords such a bidding option.

A similar situation has developed at factories in St. Petersburg, which are part of the Power Machines association, which, back in the Soviet era, planned to manufacture gas turbines with a capacity of over 160 MW.

The position of the representative of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) is absolutely correct: it is necessary to continue fine-tuning the manufacturing technology in Rybinsk and St. Petersburg. Involvement of Inter RAO is necessary, since its branch, Ivanovskie PGU, has a test bench and operates the first Russian-made gas turbines.

Thus, we see that Reuters is wishful thinking, reporting the failure of import substitution and modernization. Apparently they are afraid that Russian machine builders will succeed in everything. Reuters insinuations are a feed for our internal liberals in the economic bloc. In an ordinary war, this is identical to scattering leaflets "Give up. Moscow has already fallen ".

When creating new types of technical equipment, so-called "childhood diseases" usually appear in the design, which are successfully eliminated by engineers.

Lifetime testing is a necessary stage in the creation of new equipment, which is carried out to determine the operating time of the structure before the appearance of defects that prevent further operation. Identifying problematic points during life tests is a normal working situation when mastering new technology.

The Rybinsk Motors plant in Soviet times specialized in the production of aircraft engines and gas turbines for compressor units up to 25 MW.

At present, the plant is part of the NPO Saturn association, which has successfully mastered the production of powerful marine gas turbines and is working on the creation and serial production of high-power power turbines.

Before the imposition of sanctions against Russia, the production of its own gas turbines for power plants hindered by the fact that the Russian economy was embedded in global market, where Western engineering companies held a monopoly position.

The current situation in the world requires perseverance in continuing the work on the project. The creation of a line of powerful energy gas turbines will require 2-3 years of hard work, but this is justified in any case, regardless of whether Russia is under sanctions or not - this is a real import substitution. The gigantic energy market in Russia will provide the utilization of the machine-building industry, metallurgy of special steels and will give a multiplier effect in related industries.

The huge volume of the energy market is due to the fact that the country's thermal power plants will be modernized in the next twenty years. It will take hundreds, thousands of gas turbines. It is necessary to stop burning such a valuable fuel as natural gas with a utilization rate of 35-40%.