두산에너빌리티는 2019년 국내 산학연과 함께 발전용 대형 가스터빈 국산화에 성공하며 미국·독일·일본·이탈리아에 이어 세계 다섯 번째로 가스터빈 기술을 확보했다. 기존 글로벌 가스터빈 시장은 미국 제너럴일렉트릭(GE), 독일 지멘스, 일본 미쓰비시히타치파워시스템(MHPS)의 3강 구도였는데, 수요가 늘어나면서 후발 주자인 두산에너빌리티도 새 시장을 공략할 수 있게 됐다. 두산에너빌리티는 미국 휴스턴에 있는 가스터빈 서비스 전문 자회사 DTS와의 시너지를 통해 미국 시장 공략을 가속할 방침이다.
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Doosan Enerbility announced on the 13th that it had signed a contract to supply two 380-megawatt (MW) gas turbines to a major US tech company by the end of next year. The contract partner and scale were not disclosed at the request of the client.(Other media sources mentioned that it is being supplied to the data center of Musk's AI company, xAI.)
Doosan Enerbility succeeded in localizing large gas turbines for power generation in 2019 in collaboration with Korean industry, academia, and research institutions, securing gas turbine technology as the fifth country in the world after the US, Germany, Japan, and Italy. Subsequently, the performance was proven through successful demonstration for 15,000 hours at the Gimpo Combined Heat and Power Plant. Including this contract, the company has signed a total of eight gas turbine supply contracts in a row. Up until now, it had been supplying gas turbines mainly to domestic power plants, such as Korea Western Power.
The soaring demand for power from data centers in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also created an opportunity for Doosan Enerbility. Data centers worldwide are finding it difficult to meet their demand through existing power grids and are seeking their own power supply solutions. Gas turbines are drawing attention due to their advantages in terms of construction period, supply stability, operating period, and efficiency. According to S&P Global Commodity Insights, the global gas-fired power generation market (based on cumulative installation) is projected to grow from 2,067 gigawatts (GW) last year to 2,712 GW by 2040.
The existing global gas turbine market was dominated by a three-way competition between the US's General Electric (GE), Germany's Siemens, and Japan's Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS). However, as demand increases, latecomer Doosan Enerbility is now also able to target new markets. An industry official stated, "Doosan Enerbility has jumped into the gas turbine market, which used to be supplier-centric, and is now actively competing by focusing not only on price competitiveness but also on service convenience."
For gas turbines, the importance of services, such as maintenance and repair, is significant, not just new supply. Doosan Enerbility plans to accelerate its penetration into the US market through synergy with its gas turbine service specialized subsidiary, DTS, located in Houston, US. DTS will perform the maintenance services for the gas turbines supplied to the US market in the future. Son Seung-woo, head of Doosan Enerbility's Power Service BG, said, "This contract is a meaningful turning point for South Korea, as it transitions from a gas turbine importing country to an exporting country," adding, "We will repay the customer's trust by strictly adhering to quality and delivery deadlines, and further expand into overseas markets like the US."