Page 39 - bne_September 2022_20220802

bne September 2022 Cover story I 39
GUSTAFSON
Vlad – What's your problem with gas turbines?
Professor Thane Gustafson in Washington
The sudden exit of Western companies, because of sanctions, leaves the modernisation of the Russian electricity sector in the lurch.
Gas turbines may not be your usual breakfast fare (or mine – I like Shred- ded Wheat), but they’ve been in the headlines a lot lately. At the centre of the story is a gas pipeline called Nord Stream-1, which connects Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. It has become the centre of a power struggle between Russia and Europe, which will play out throughout the autumn and winter. Putin claims that the Europeans have failed to service a key gas turbine that powers the pipeline. But it is clear that he is attempting to use the turbine issue as blackmail, forcing Europe into making concessions on its sanctions.
Putin indeed has a gas turbine problem, but it is not the one he thinks. His more serious problem is that advanced gas turbines are at the heart of the Russian electricity sector, which drives the Russian economy. These depend on Western companies and Western tech- nology, and the sanctions are already having a disruptive impact.
A modern gas turbine is one of the unsung wonders of the engineering world. The idea of a gas turbine seems pretty straightforward. A compressor
generates a high-pressure stream of hot air; an injection of fuel sets the mixture alight; and the burning mixture turns
a bladed turbine, which then generates electricity or provides thrust. What could be simpler? Indeed, gas turbines have been around for over a century, and they are used everywhere, in jet engines, gas pipelines, power plants, and even tanks.
The Russians are perfectly capable of making gas turbines. But these are only the smaller turbines that power
“A modern gas turbine is one of the unsung wonders of the engineering world”
Much has been said about Russia's car sector, which has completely collapsed due to sanctions, but the power sector is in danger of going the same way without Western-made gas turbines. / bne IntelliNews
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