# Steam turbines and thermal power plants: Equipment and suppliers Boilers, rotors and generators that run for 40 years Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/equipment/ What this tab covers For each method, the main pieces of equipment, who makes them (by region) and what they are made of (bill of materials). A steam plant is a boiler, a turbine, a generator and a condenser; ORC and Stirling machines shrink the same functions into packaged units. #### Coal-fired steam plant **Boiler (steam generator)**^[2](https://www.powermag.com/chinas-pingshan-phase-ii-sets-new-bar-as-worlds-most-efficient-coal-power-plant)^[5](https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/harbin-electric-wins-bids-two-2-gw-coal-fired-power-projects-china.html)^[11](https://www.shanghai-electric.com/group_en/dqdzjtwmdqy)^[13](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0331/2026033103547.pdf)^[14](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0326/2026032603158.pdf)^[15](https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/BHELCC_03092025171754_BHELOrderReceipt.pdf)^[17](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250107946465/en) Burns pulverised coal and turns feedwater into high-pressure, high-temperature steam, with reheaters for steam returning from the turbine. China Dongfang Electric, Harbin Electric, Shanghai Electric India Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) Europe Steinmüller United States Babcock & Wilcox (mainly retrofits and boiler equipment) Bill of materials - **Water walls, superheater and reheater tubes**: creep-resistant 600 C-class alloy steels; nickel alloys needed for 700 C designs - **Burners, mills and fans**: steel **Steam turbine**^[2](https://www.powermag.com/chinas-pingshan-phase-ii-sets-new-bar-as-worlds-most-efficient-coal-power-plant)^[5](https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/harbin-electric-wins-bids-two-2-gw-coal-fired-power-projects-china.html)^[10](https://arabellesolutions.com/our-technology/generators-for-nuclear-power-plants/gigatop-generators)^[11](https://www.shanghai-electric.com/group_en/dqdzjtwmdqy)^[13](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0331/2026033103547.pdf)^[14](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0326/2026032603158.pdf)^[15](https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/BHELCC_03092025171754_BHELOrderReceipt.pdf)^[19](https://www.powermag.com/ge-ha-turbine-snags-another-world-record-for-ccgt-efficiency)^[18](https://www.turbomachinerymag.com/view/per-supplier-contract-doosan-enerbility-to-equip-qatari-combined-cycle-plant) Expands steam through high-, intermediate- and low-pressure sections to drive the generator; double reheat raises efficiency. China Dongfang Electric, Harbin Electric, Shanghai Electric India Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) Europe Siemens Energy, Arabelle Solutions Japan and Korea Toshiba, Doosan Enerbility Bill of materials - **Rotor forgings and blades**: high-alloy steels rated for 600 C-class steam - **Casings and valves**: cast alloy steel **Generator**^[5](https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/harbin-electric-wins-bids-two-2-gw-coal-fired-power-projects-china.html)^[10](https://arabellesolutions.com/our-technology/generators-for-nuclear-power-plants/gigatop-generators)^[12](https://www.gevernova.com/gas-power/products/generators/air-cooled)^[13](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0331/2026033103547.pdf)^[14](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0326/2026032603158.pdf)^[15](https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/BHELCC_03092025171754_BHELOrderReceipt.pdf) Converts shaft rotation to electricity at up to 99% efficiency. China Dongfang Electric, Harbin Electric India Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) Europe Arabelle Solutions, Siemens Energy United States GE Vernova Bill of materials - **Stator windings**: copper bars, water-cooled in large units - **Rotor**: steel forging cooled by hydrogen #### Organic Rankine cycle unit **ORC turbogenerator**^[6](https://re.public.polimi.it/retrieve/629bcfbb-9b26-41cb-883b-c5ddbf134764/The%20organic%20Rankine%20cycle%20power%20systems%20market%20Recent%20developments.pdf) Expands the organic vapour through a slow, robust turbine coupled to a generator. United States Ormat, TAS Europe Turboden, Exergy, Orcan Energy, Enogia, Enertime Bill of materials - **Turbine and generator (rotating equipment)**: about 70% of purchased equipment cost in a 375 kW system about 70% - **Evaporator, recuperator and condenser**: steel heat exchangers about 30% #### Stirling and thermoacoustic engines **Stirling engine with receiver**^[8](https://newsreleases.sandia.gov/releases/2008/solargrid.html)^[9](https://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/~hetheriw/energy/topics/doc/thermo/heat_eng/Stirling_engine/thermoacoustic-Stirling.heat.engine.detailed.study.j.acous.soc.2000.pdf) Converts concentrated sunlight or other external heat into shaft power with a sealed hydrogen charge. United States No current volume maker identified; the 2008 record used a Stirling Energy Systems dish built with Sandia Bill of materials - **Heater head and regenerator**: high-temperature alloy heat exchangers - **Working gas**: hydrogen (Stirling) or helium at 30 bar (thermoacoustic) #### Sources 1. [China's Pingshan Phase II Sets New Bar as World's Most Efficient Coal Power Plant](https://www.powermag.com/chinas-pingshan-phase-ii-sets-new-bar-as-worlds-most-efficient-coal-power-plant) POWER Magazine, 2023 2. [Harbin Electric wins bids for two 2 GW coal-fired power projects in China](https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/harbin-electric-wins-bids-two-2-gw-coal-fired-power-projects-china.html) Enerdata, 2024 3. [The organic Rankine cycle power systems market: Recent developments and future perspectives (Wieland, Schifflechner, Dawo, Astolfi), Applied Thermal Engineering 224](https://re.public.polimi.it/retrieve/629bcfbb-9b26-41cb-883b-c5ddbf134764/The%20organic%20Rankine%20cycle%20power%20systems%20market%20Recent%20developments.pdf) Elsevier (author copy, Politecnico di Milano), 2023 4. [Sandia, Stirling Energy Systems set new world record for solar-to-grid conversion efficiency](https://newsreleases.sandia.gov/releases/2008/solargrid.html) Sandia National Laboratories, 2008 5. [A thermoacoustic-Stirling heat engine: Detailed study (Backhaus and Swift), J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 107(6)](https://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/~hetheriw/energy/topics/doc/thermo/heat_eng/Stirling_engine/thermoacoustic-Stirling.heat.engine.detailed.study.j.acous.soc.2000.pdf) Los Alamos National Laboratory / Acoustical Society of America, 2000 6. [GIGATOP generators](https://arabellesolutions.com/our-technology/generators-for-nuclear-power-plants/gigatop-generators) Arabelle Solutions, 2025 7. [Shanghai Electric Power Generation Group (company profile)](https://www.shanghai-electric.com/group_en/dqdzjtwmdqy) Shanghai Electric, 2025 8. [Air-cooled generators (GEN-A)](https://www.gevernova.com/gas-power/products/generators/air-cooled) GE Vernova, 2025 9. [Dongfang Electric Corporation Limited: Annual results announcement for the year 2025](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0331/2026033103547.pdf) Dongfang Electric (HKEX filing), 2026 10. [Harbin Electric Company Limited: Annual results announcement for the year ended 31 December 2025](https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0326/2026032603158.pdf) Harbin Electric (HKEX filing), 2026 11. [BHEL: order for 1x800 MW Anuppur thermal power project (stock exchange disclosure)](https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/BHELCC_03092025171754_BHELOrderReceipt.pdf) Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (NSE filing), 2025 12. [B&W awarded USD 13 million boiler cleaning equipment and installation contract for Southeast Asia coal power plant](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250107946465/en) Babcock & Wilcox via Business Wire, 2025 13. [Doosan Enerbility to equip Qatari combined-cycle plant (Facility E)](https://www.turbomachinerymag.com/view/per-supplier-contract-doosan-enerbility-to-equip-qatari-combined-cycle-plant) Turbomachinery International, 2025 14. [GE HA Turbine Snags Another World Record for CCGT Efficiency](https://www.powermag.com/ge-ha-turbine-snags-another-world-record-for-ccgt-efficiency) POWER Magazine, 2018 ## Other sections - [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/index.md) - [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/overview/index.md) - [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/correlation/index.md) - [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/science/index.md) - [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/valuechain/index.md) - [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/economics/index.md) - [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/methods/index.md) - [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_steam_turbines/links/index.md)