Mitsubishi Power warns of turbine supply squeeze, previews hydrogen blending and salt-cavern demonstrations

Jim Keller, vice president of North American manufacturing for Mitsubishi Power, and Joe Stica, vice president for U.S. new equipment sales, told the Resource Management committee that global demand for gas turbines has surged and supply chains are at or near capacity, producing extended lead times for large-frame equipment.

Joe Stica said much of the near-term demand requires “firm dispatchable power,” and argued that to meet the timeline toward the end of the decade many projects must rely on gas generation. Stica described market drivers including data center growth, coal retirements and electrification, and warned that “our supply chain is definitely at capacity and lead times are extending.”

Keller described Mitsubishi’s Savannah Machine Works facility as a 430,000-square-foot plant built to serve North and South America and said the company is scaling manufacturing capacity in Savannah. He also reviewed Mitsubishi’s hydrogen tests and demonstrations: the company is operating a hydrogen “park” in Takasago, Japan, has blended 20% hydrogen in a plant near McDonough for short tests, and is deploying a project in Delta, Utah, that pairs 40 electrolyzers with salt-cavern hydrogen storage to support turbine operation. On Delta, Keller said the project stores hydrogen in caverns “about the size of Empire State Building each” and the company will run turbines from that storage to validate the end-to-end process.

Mitsubishi representatives emphasized work on hydrogen production, storage and transport, including technology to blend hydrogen into turbines and to reach higher hydrogen combustion levels by 2030–2040 timelines. They urged the committee to consider transmission needs for hydrogen and electricity and offered factory tours and future briefings. No committee votes or policy actions were taken during the session.