Siemens launches largest gas turbine

Siemens is launching its largest gas turbine in Irsching, Germany, which it claims will achieve a new record for efficiency.

In combination with a steam turbine, Siemens said the 444 tonne turbine will allow more than 60 per cent of the energy contained in natural gas to be transformed into electrical power.

With an output of 530MW the power plant can provide power to a city with three million residents. The turbine alone has a capacity of 340MW, the equivalent of 13 jumbo jet engines.

According to Siemens, the two per cent increase in efficiency over the previous maximum of 58 per cent could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 40,000 tonnes per year. This is the equivalent of the volume of emissions that would be produced by almost 10,000 VW Golfs each driven 20,000km annually.